The Ice Prince, Son of Esdeath
by SingleYandereMale
Summary: Tatsumi finally belongs to Esdeath, Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army are defeated and scattered. All is supposedly well for the Empire until Tatsumi is greeted by a mysterious boy from the distant dark future claiming to be his own son, with the means to avert the oncoming crisis. (Rated M for Mature Content.) (Written with First Person Perspective, until Chapter Nine.)
1. Chapter 1 - The End of Struggle

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **\- Tatsumi - Time: 13:00 - The Dungeons - The Imperial Palace.**

The damp dark dungeons of the Imperial Palace, how many times that I been here? Countless. I've kinda lost track as I always end up being thrown in here whenever my personal missions have gone haywire in the past, but whilst I'd rather be locked up here than executed... Believe me, that's hardly a choice. I know that I'm only being locked up here for an particular reason beyond my control, not because they want me alive. If the ministers of the Empire had sway over my fate then I'd be dead before the next sunrise and stuck on an flagpole for demonstration. But for once, I actually wished to be thrown into this horrid place.

Funny, huh?

My very reason for that... Is an grim reality, and one that I want no part of but I must accept it as truth, it continues to erode my sense of hope with each singular breath I take.

Simply put. Night Raid, and the Revolutionary Army are no more. Wild Hunt's members were annihilated aswell, thankfully. Night Raid's end came slowly as we kept fighting until the bitter end, Akame and Leone are still left alive but they've taken to hiding and biding what time they can until striking again, whilst I fought desperately as my friends continued to fall.

One by one.

Soon, I was captured by the Imperial forces that I was fighting against. Wave and Akame's sister Kurome had led the charge against my assault. I realize... How stubborn I was, how utterly stupid. Believing that I, alone, could endure and continue the legacy that my friends and I built together.

Without them, I just can't acomplish the feats that I could before. Even with my Teigu, Incursio. The Imperial Arm passed down by my beloved mentor and brother Bulat. I can imagine Incursio is currently being kept close watch over... In the deeper palace.

Everyone, I'm sorry... Terribly sorry but I've made my choice. I'll avenge you all, every single one. Even if I must perish aswell, I'll bring the entire Empire crashing down on their heads. Then least, the people of this nation won't suffer anymore injustice from the cold blooded liars at the top of the pillar.

I'll bring this all crashing down... ** _From the Inside out._**

"Awake up, prisoner! General Esdeath approaches!" The large man currently dressed in imposing armor shouts loudly as my ears tingle in response, slamming his fist against the bars of the cell, gaining my attention.

"Thank you, guardsman." An all too familar voice beckons without any notable emotion present in it, as they draw closer into the dungeons. Soon they are standing directly opposite me, only barely separated by the steel bars.

It's Esdeath, exactly as the guard said. She draws eerily close to the bars, as her hands grip them with an hold so firm that they begin becoming loose. "Leave us, immediately." Esdeath commands with an stern voice, without anything additional being said. The excitement in her voice is palpable. The guard seems hesitant, as if he's forgotten that it's **_General Esdeath_ **that he's speaking too.

"Ma'am, with all due respect... He's an wanted assassin and completely unpredictable, even whilst chain-" He stammers, his words are shaky and his stance is lacking confidence. From the looks of it, as I sit down in my isolated cell. Merely staring at them both. Chained to the wall by the hands, shackles for comfort. He has begun to notice the effect of his words on Esdeath, as she begins shaking slightly from irritation.

Then, she turns in his direction for the first time since she entered the room. Hostility ever present in both body language and stance. Esdeath doesn't even need to repeat herself as the Guardsman rushes from the dungeon and straight into the nearest hiding place in the palace, that leaves us two alone. Exactly as she intended.

As the guardsman was carrying the keys to my cell, Esdeath merely slices through the formerly thick steel bars with her hands laced in crystalline ice as she steps into the cell as if she hadn't just destroyed the bars. Her facial expression is an wide smile whilst mine is an frown, we completely contrast each other then she speaks.

"Tatsumi, I hope you know the situation." She speaks earnestly, waiting patiently for my response.

"...I do." I reply with extreme reluctance, still distraught over the recent events.

"Good, I'm pleased that you do. So you know that there's no other choice for you- Than becoming mine, Tatsumi." To enforce the point that she just made, Esdeath's position shifted from near the cell bars to dominantly looming over me, sitting on the floor leaves me without much choice than to glance upwards as she returns the gaze.

"So, what will it be, my dearest Tatsumi? Will you continue to stubbornly fight against my love, or will you submit then embrace your true calling as my and only lover." Being Esdeath's other half isn't what I'm after- It's the privileges, I'm ascertain of that. Her words however aren't something that I can hear easily.

Unable to voice my submission, I merely nod in response.

"I won't accept your silence, Tatsumi. Tell me what you want." Esdeath grins widely with barely concealed pleasure, taking immense satisfaction in this. It's only natural that she'd be forcing me to say this considering I've been denying it all of this time. Ironic, that when I finally need to admit it, that it's not as easy as it should be.

"I... I want to be yours." As the quiet words leave my trembling lips, I hang my head low as the sensation of shame fills me. The floor is all that I'm comfortable with seeing right now as my eyes remain glued to the sight of it. Yet Esdeath doesn't allow this, her hands take ahold of my chin as she redirects my gaze so it's solely on herself.

"...You can't believe, how long I've been waiting to hear those words." With an wide smile, she swiftly destroys the chains preventing my escape from the cell as my arms come lose. My body didn't have time to slide forwards from the separation as it found itself locked in Esdeath's deathly tight embrace as she nuzzles against the crook of my neck with her head, breathing deeply.

"They'll be many fools that'll oppose our beautiful union." She whispers into my ear whilst rubbing my back possessively with her hands as mine remain laying against my side.

"But I promise you my protection, as I always have." The path ahead of me, won't be easy nor filled with the joy and friendship that I experienced in Night Raid. Only bitterness and pain lie in waiting as my eyes close, there's no turning back now. I hope that Akame and Leone can forgive me for this, but as long as I can accomplish my goal of bringing the Empire to it's knees then it'll all be worth it.

 **\- Makoto - Time: 17:00 - Forest of Fallen Death - Outskirts of the Capital**

The dreadful world that I inhabit, is an cold and desolate place, it's filled with the death and decay that only few would enjoy. Filled with ruins of an fallen Empire and the creatures spawned from one of it's former servants, Dr. Stylish.

The abominations were unleashed unto the capital, killing man and woman alike in swarms. I was only weeks old by this point, so I hardly witnessed this first hand myself. That right goes to my mother and father whom fought against the experimental danger beasts, the battle ended when my father fell to the floor dead, protecting civilians from certain death at the cost of his own life. It was then that my mother recalled her forces, taking her fallen husbands body and leaving the Empire entirely. The Empire that she had sworn to protect, but when I think about it.

I understand why she did so, she put me over her duty.

Miles away from the Capital upon fleeing the carnage, my mother and her forces took residence in in the Northern Tribes territory. She immediately erected an beautiful opposing castle with it's own walls formed from her mastery of her Teigu. Her nickname of Ice Queen became reality as the survivors of the massacre soon begun relying on her for protection and security as they had back in the Empire. She granted them that, in return for complete obedience and servitude. My father's body laid resting inside a ice tomb inside my mother's quarters, preserving him so that they wouldn't be parted.

I only saw my father through that thick sheet of ice, his killing wound still visible across the chest. I often spent hours merely staring at him, I constantly asked my mother about the type of man that he was.

...Did he enjoy fighting strong opponents? What kind of outfits did he prefer to wear? The questions were endless, my curiosity insatiable.

From the ages of five, I was trained by my mother for combat and surivival. The climate of the Ice Kingdom led by her wasn't kind, but that was fine by me. For I had my mother's blood flowing through my veins, the blood of the Ice Demon. Thus, my chest also bore the same symbol as her own, and I had access to an dulled form of her powers too.

But something was missing and I didn't know what, I had everything that I would need to fight against the abominations of the world-

Until I saw it, until I saw it's beauty for my own.

 _ **Incursio.**_

The only thing that my father left behind, his own weapon and proof of his existence. I yearned to claim it for my own and eventually I was allowed too. My mother gave me Incursio upon my sixth birthday and I haven't let go of the sword since, upon my first activation. I had noticed that the armor that surrounded my body was akin to my father's yet notable differences were present, according to my mother. The crest of the helmet were lined with ice, and the gauntlets knuckles coated themselves in crystalline beauty. The two came one, Incursio and the Demon's Extract.

At that moment, I was my mother and my father at the same time.

It was beyond words.

And now here I am, ten years old and standing above the Forest of Fallen Death. Many years into the past, my reason for being here was simple. I would ensure my birth, and prevent disaster. The disaster that Dr. Stylish had somehow unleashed beyond the grave, I traveled here thanks to the Teigu, Chronos Key. The user themselves had been an good friend of mine, I have set predetermined variables for my inevitable return, so I shouldn't mess around anymore than necessary.

I will complete my mission, and meet my father- The Future belongs to the Ice Prince Makoto, I'll make it so!

Be patient, Mother. I'll be with you soon, together we shall raise the Empire to new heights of power!

 **Whew! Isn't this lovely? Hello guys, it's me! SingleYandereMale! The Author whom always upsets his readers by publishing new stories when he's behind on his schedule for the other ones! Aha, I'm kidding- I try and do my best for all my stories. Anyway abit unto this new story. As with the rest, I'll aim for least twenty chapters with about two hundred words per chapter with polls allowing you to decide some outcomes yourself.**

 **This story came about shortly after I had first watched and read Akame Ga Kill's anime and manga respectively, I always wondered what the child of Esdeath and Tatsumi would look and behave like, including their powers. So I hope you enjoy Makoto, as long as I enjoyed thinking him up!**

 **The cover art comes from Meranyssa, my dearest friend that I persuaded to join me in my Akame Ga Kill watching. So that's what Makoto looks like for reference!**

 **Hope you enjoy the story! Stay tuned!**

 **(P.S Expect Lemon. This is an Esdeath x Tatsumi fic, afterall ;) )**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Spiral Staircase

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **\- Esdeath - Time: 15:00 - Conference Hall - The Imperial Palace.**

"This is absolutely preposterous, I will never allow that damn criminal in **_my_** military as long I still live!" Great General Budo exclaimed loudly as he slammed his large fist against the round table, his bushy eyebrows narrowed in barely masked frustration.

Oh, this is simply marvelous.

If I knew the Great General produced such deliciously tantalising reactions, then I would have taken to messing with him and his, oh so important, feeble sense of conduct an much longer time ago.

What Budo doesn't realize is that I won't merely back down like an obedient submissive subordinate as he expects me to, I **_will_** have my adorable Tatsumi as apart of my own forces.

He belongs at my side, and more importantly to me and no one else.

More precisely I want him apart of the Jaegers. I want him as close to me as possible, I won't let him leave my sight at all now that he's finally admitted to belonging solely to me.

He deserves every single opportunity allowed to grow more beautifully strong as he capable of becoming with his endless potential, my beating heart swoons with pure estacy when I fantasize about fighting him at his best.

The Prime Minister immediately raised his giant hands, trying to calm the pathetically annoyed large man. "Budo, Please be reasonable. The terrorist organisation that our famous person in question formerly belonged to, is no more. Laid to rest by numerous betrayals, infighting and our own forces, led by General Esdeath, herself."

"I believe she deserves this reward, the Emperor does aswell." Honest announced with an warm chuckle, currently sitting by the table whilst chewing greedily on an piece of meat.

Whilst Budo seems repulsed by the overweight Minister's appetite, I am simply not bothered by it in the slightest. Everyone has their vices in the end, I enjoy cruelty, bloodshed and war as the Minister enjoys filling his fat face with food. I can only dream what Tatsumi's secret pleasures really are.

Yet.

I, however, are more interested in Budo currently. His stance opposite me is firm and straight as an pole, as expected but ultimately futile.

I can already tell that he's nervous to the core, incredibly so. He doesn't wish to fight me as he is, which is without an doubt, immensely boring. But I can see why... His real true enemy is the large obese man beside him, Honest, not me. General Esdeath. Still, if Budo had the raw power to defeat, destroy and annilhate me in single combat without breaking an sweat then I suppose that eliminating me from the running wouldn't be so hard to pass up from coming true.

Sadly, he lacks that kind of real power. So, I will always remain on top of the food chain. Afterall, the supposed difference in power is only on the political level, I could have claimed the title of Great General easily from him and crushed his face into the bitter dirt with my heel, but I honestly saw no point due to being satisfied with my current position in the Imperial Leadership of the Empire and having no interest in being constantly bombarded with extra workload, annoyances and excessive distractions especially now that I must entertain my darling little Tatsumi.

And that is something that I will never grow tired of. Especially considering my body yearns for him, more everyday.

"...Fine, but there's one condition that I'm enforcing without argument. He shall remain stripped of his Teigu during his stay at the Palace for the protection of the Empire's people until we can remain assured of his loyalties to the leadership." Budo remmanded with an stern steely gaze on Honest, knowing that eventually the Prime Minister would be forced to pick sides.

Despite the current violent wave of expertedly masked frustration swelling up from within me, ready to explode, I nod simply in agreement.

Regardless of my sour feelings about seeing my precious Tatsumi's power diminished, I'd rather not need to chase him around the entire Palace in the event of stubborn rebellion or foolish escape, since I probably won't be able to catch him without breaking a few bones of his as the synchronisation with Incursio attained by him is unbelievably tremendous.

He has an knack for vanishing from sight, aswell. Can't have that.

I have the best doctors in the Empire completely at my service, but I must be especially gentle with the man who won my heart. So I won't hurt him unless I need to, or want too for that instance.

The very thought of him moaning and whimpering at my very touch excites me without end, I can barely contain myself around him as it is. Skin on skin contact is something I crave so very much. I wish us to be lovers in every sense of the word, until the entire Empire knows of the love that we share. It frustrates me that we haven't had time to develop our relationship further than what it already was.

Then again, I called for this meeting as soon as the words I desired escaped Tatsumi's cute lips.

"As you say, I'll deliver the good news to my newest subordinate then." My words are heard clearly but stated with an air of disinterest. I adjust my military cap with my hands before sliding abit of my hair away from my face with my hand aswell as I make strides for the door.

Strides for my **_Tatsumi._**

Honest doesn't have any time at all for goodbyes or gestures of goodwill as I leave, I must return to Tatsumi immediately without delay. I'll vivosect anyone that dares prevent, approach or distract me from reaching Tatsumi's mesmerising warmth. I left him with one of my Jaeger's, Wave, but this wouldn't be the first time in his service to me, that he's let my beloved mate slip through his, **_my_** fingers. I'd be damned if I lost him now.

You wouldn't escape without paying for losing Tatsumi again with an eye, or two.

Don't disappoint me, Wave. Don't forget what happens when you fail me, as if you could possibly forget that lesson.

 _Painful things happen_.

 **\- Tatsumi - Time: 15:40 - The Dungeons - The Imperial Palace.**

"She's coming... Very soon, Wave." I utter quietly in anticipation as the feral surge of power and pent up excitement from Esdeath being felt in the air suddenly makes the hair on my neck stand firmly up whilst leaning against the cold wall, completely without any restraints to keep me there in the dark dungeon as Wave crouches beside me in my cell, looking happy yet sympathic at me.

Then, after some minutes of prolonged silence between us, he speaks.

"Least you haven't vanished on me, Tatsumi. I still haven't forgiven you for last time." Wave announces jokingly as he sips some water from his military canteen. Politely offering me some with an friendly smile as I raise my hands in refusal, despite feeling awfully thristy.

"Suit yourself Tatsumi, but you can't starve yourself now that you belong to the Jaegers... General Esdeath won't allow it." Wave speaks as an matter of fact, without trying to seem too prying in his words or actions. His stance becomes abit more tense as he begins to feel Esdeath's predatory presence close on the Dungeons, drawing nearer and nearer.

Eventually she arrives, without a second to late as Wave immediately stands up at the sound of her heels making loud noise on the floor. He salutes whilst announcing the completion of his given task, guarding me during what could be the signing of my recruitment papers along with the removal of my criminal record.

"General Esdeath, I have completed the task given! Tatsumi is yours, as requested." Wave's posture is straight, without fault as I lift myself from the wet floor with an groan. Wave would be oblivious to the fact that during his entire speech, Esdeath hadn't looked him at him once, her gaze fixated solely on me. Her hands would be on her shapely hips as she finally peers to Wave, smiling ever so slightly.

"You have certainly redeemed yourself in my eyes, Wave." Wave's facial features instantly became more happy yet swiftly reverted to the militaristic professionalism that's expected of him.

"You honour me greatly, General." Wave responds with vigor.

"As such, you deserve some time off." Esdeath continues with an voice lacking any notable emotion, her eyes now back on me. Looking me over repeatedly.

"Return to the Jaeger's quarters, you are free to do as you like. You are dismissed." With that, she sends him away with an stroke of her hand. Wave begins to make tracks out of the dungeon, visibly happy to leaving the awful dark place behind him.

But.

He turns around, looking straight at me in the eye, departing afterwards.

"... Don't do anything stupid, Tatsumi." I take those words to heart, least for as much as I can whilst sticking to my original goal. Bringing down the Empire from within, yet before I can even reply to Wave. Esdeath's hands surround my entire body with an terrifyingly strong grip that threatens to crush me. Lifting me up to the point that my legs dangle from the floor due to the difference between us in height.

"You are finally all mine, Tatsumi." She says dreamily with an pleased smile that I cannot see.

Why can't I, you say?

Because my head is currently being pressed directly into Esdeath's unmistakably large busom, squeezing into her exposed cleavage, she doesn't seem to mind...

But I very much do, I can't breathe! As if answering my prayers, Esdeath swoops my body from the ground and begins carrying me as if I were her bride. My blushing crimson face hasn't escaped the embarrassing torture as it's shoved into the side of Esdeath's breasts against her uniform, then my ears begin detecting the notable sound of inhalation.

Sniffling.

My attentive eyes glance upwards when her grip on my body grows lose, realising that my possessive new boss is taking huge breaths of my hair into herself as she sighs in relief.

"Esdeath, that's en--" My words of protest are denied, by the scariest of actions. Esdeath leaps forward to the staircase exit of the dungeons, despite my gratitude for finally being out, I can't express it as she begins running down the Palace's corridors at an full blown sprint, my body still tightly gripped in her arms. Imperial Couriers, Soldiers and Guards are all forced to jump out of the way to avoid being slammed into the walls, and some don't react in time as they recieve just that.

Esdeath doesn't even bother looking at the danger as she continues to move, her cap still strangely re maining at her head as she begins ascending staircases upwards, least seven until she stops, taking a more brisk pace of walk as she stops at what I can only imagine to be her own private quarters.

From the look of it, this entire floor is reserved for the height of Imperial Power. The Prime Minister, Great General and the other important figures live in rooms here, including Esdeath...

And me, now I guess.

"Home, sweet home." Esdeath whistles with an cheerful disposition while still carrying me in her arms as she enters, her quarters are actually several enclosed rooms with an master bedroom, study, washroom and an spare room for emergency use.

With an extremely careful motion, Esdeath places me down on my feet with her hands holding my waist. Still holding my waist even now, as if afraid to let me go.

"You can let go, Esdeath." I state plainly, looking directly at her as she grins proudly, stroking my face's cheek with her hand. Looking dangerously pleased with herself.

"What if I don't want too, Tatsumi?" She asks teasingly as I begin to pull away then, she affirms her grip from the cheek unto my shoulder as all my movements stop with an eerie look.

"Then--" I start.

"I want you bathed, fed and rested. Four minutes in the shower. Five during your meal, and three hours of sleep. That's three hours and nine minutes, don't waste them Tatsumi." Esdeath's tone switches from sickeningly sweet to the cold and stern one that's normally present during her orders, it's true that I haven't washed myself in an while, two days at least and I feel the pain of hunger swelling in my stomach.

"Alright, I suppose that isn't unreasonable." I state, walking to the massive double bed before Esdeath hands wrap across my shoulders and link together. Her breath tickling my ears, then her tongue does the same.

"In that order Tatsumi, you shower first. I'll find you once everything is done." Releasing me from her firm grasp, she suddenly spins me around planting an deeply passionate kiss on my surprised lips, one that I don't return.

"Why-- Why'd you do that?! We aren't--" I exclaim angrily, stepping away from her as she closes in, refusing to let me distance myself from her.

"Aren't what, Tatsumi?" Esdeath uncharacteristically giggles in amusement.

"Lovers, is that what you were going to say?" My words become trapped in my throat, I realize that I need to bury... Abandon my feelings of love to my teammates, to Mine, to the Revolutionary Army so I can successfully convince Esdeath of my false sincere nature.

"Because from this day forth... That's **_exactly_** what we are." Esdeath triumphantly exclaims, grabbing ahold of my head to pull me in for another deep kiss...

...And I return it.

 **Hope you enjoyed the second installment, I'll try and release the third soonish! I immensely appreciate the good feedback and reactions to this fic, hopefully I can keep your interest until we reach the more exciting parts explained in the summary but we'll get there, regardless, I'd like to ask that you leave a review. Being able to improve is what I desire, so thanks alot.**

 **See ya soon, guys!**

 **(P.S Did you like the Esdeath POV part? More to come!)**


	3. Chapter 3 - Ordinary Agony

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **\- Tatsumi - Time: 19:42 - Esdeath's Quarters - The Imperial Palace.**

It's easy to say that I have alot to grow used to, from the moment I left the shower in the washroom, to the moment I sat down to eat. Everything is different, everything was already prepared for me.

Funny... This was the lifestyle that desperately yearned for what seems like decades ago, when I was new to the capital. I had grown accustomed to preparing my own meals and cleaning my own living quarters in Night Raid, surrounded by my friends for company.

Now... Aside from Akame and Leone, all of my friends are dead.

In the room, Esdeath's attendants took care of those duties, not even paying an single glance at me aside from the usual nod of acknowledgement as they entered. They left as quietly as they arrived.

As if they hadn't been there in the first place.

Now I'm spending the last remaining minutes of time before Esdeath returns from whatever she is doing right now in her bed, I've already slept enough as it is. The bed itself is made from the most expensive fabrics and materials in the entire Empire, I could easily imagine myself snoozing in this with reckless abandon by myself.

Thing is, I won't be by myself in the future. This bed, afterall...

Was created with two people in mind, so regardless of my current official role within the Imperial Military being that of an Jaeger... Unofficially I am General Esdeath's personal belonging and her lover. Her soulmate, as she always says. So Wave and Kurome will be alone together in Jaeger's own quarters in the floor below us, but honestly I really doubt they mind much.

I'd be getting in the way of those two, but I guess if things become tense between me and Esdeath then sleeping in there probably won't be such an bad idea. Even if she'd eventually find me in the end.

Laying on my side to the left on the luxurious bed with the covers thrown over me, I hadn't noticed that Esdeath herself had been attentively observing me from the other end of the bed with her otherwise dominating presence masked for little more than twenty solid minutes, she must have entered when I was actually sleeping.

In my idle reflection, I hadn't even picked up that she had been breathing rather deeply in lustful anticipation of the many things she had planned for me in that very bed with an flustered red face, the bed that I was currently laying on.

Then, she made herself scarily known.

"Do you mind if I join you, my adorable little thing?" Esdeath cooed softly as the sound of her heels coming closer hit my ears. Of course, this wasn't an question by any means. She had only worded it so to give me the illusion of choice, and to break down any defiance provided I refused. I had the feeling that eventually she would cease presenting her wants and desires in the form of choices, instead acting as she usually would by taking what she deemed hers, in this case, myself.

Knowing this cruelty, I replied.

"Su-- Sure, go ahead." Leaning against the wooden board at the back of the bed, my eyes fix themselves unto Esdeath as an precaution incase she came unto me unexpectedly.

"I was only joking with you, Tatsumi." Esdeath smiles widely at my intial acceptance, my lack of denial, her hands positioned on her impossibly curvy waist as she leans down closer to my level, most likely purposefully showing off her ample exposed cleavage to my eyes, to deviously sow the seeds of lust within my guilt ridden mind, it's terrifyingly working but I won't be beat by carnal desires, not when my mission takes priority. My friends take priority.

"You wer--" My words of surprise are cut short, as expected, by something even more surprising.

"For now... Before we get any rest together in this very bed tonight, we have one final duty to fulfill." Esdeath gestures with her left hand's index finger for me to follow her closely. Having already awoken up sometime ago, I left the comfortable confines of the bed as I follow.

"No binds, Esdeath?" I ask, genuinely interested in why I'm being allowed to walk behind her without some form of restraint, afterall she carried me here in the first place. My feet hardly touched the ground at all.

As we leave the quarters behind us, Esdeath halts and waits for me to catch up so that we are directly beside each other. She smirks proudly and wraps her closest arm around my waist, yanking me abit roughly into her soft squishy side as she explains herself with an giddy excited tone.

"I have called the vast majority of my most trusted men from my forces into the Military Hall, you'll be able to present yourself as apart of their ranks. This is an good opportunity to show everyone your limitless potential, and more importantly... Why they should _fear_ it, my beloved Tatsumi." So this is my official induction into Esdeath's large list of belongings and personal possessions, this is the exact moment that I become the primary target of vengeance for anyone whom loathes Night Raid with an passion, considering that's practically everyone in the Empire's military, I'll be public enemy number one from henceforth.

Just great, especially considering once everyone is all well informed, news of my betrayal of Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army will be spread across the Capital within mere days at best and I'll have plenty of battle hungry foes on both sides, which hopefully won't include Akame and Leone.

I can hear it now... "Tatsumi the Turncoat."

"...I really don't think that's an good idea, Esdeath." I remark with an empty voice closely followed by an even emptier expression, staying completely and utterly still aside from the slight nervous shaking of my hands.

"Why not, hm? There's no reason to be humble, Tatsumi. You should be proud of your power... I certainly am." Esdeath swings me around so that I'm directly infront of her torso to the point we're merely centimetres away from touching before her arms surround me, closing the gap as our chests press against the others firmly. She smiles reassuringly as possible to me, stroking the top of my head with her chin.

"It's not that, but even if you erase my criminal record, everyone still knows that I was apart of Night Raid...! Do you really think that I'll be welcome?" Then, Esdeath's blissful facial expression finally broke metaphorically into pieces. She realised that she was sending her beloved into an death sentence without trial. She had experience dealing with false creatures, people whom used false images of themselves to hide their true intentions. The Prime Minister was an shining example of this trope, yet Esdeath herself was always open and stern with her thoughts.

If anything at all, I admired that about her alot.

The horrified expression on her formerly happy face told me everything that I needed to know. She had realised that her men's loyalty was aside on the Empire itself was strictly hers. Not mine, meaning that even if she announced that I belonged to her. Only the most loyal and faithful of her forces would accept that without any arguement, of course, none of them would openly protest and speak up against me as they'd fear being dragged kicking and screaming to the torture chambers by Esdeath herself.

I removed myself from her embrace, now staring her straight in the eyes with my own pair as she returned the look, slightly worried and confused.

"Tatsumi...?" She asked with an quiet voice, reaching out for me as I step back abit more.

"I won't accompany you any further... Unless you can truly guarantee my safety in the Empire, I don't want to be put in danger simply because I'm with you." I spoke with an firm tone, for once taking charge of the conversation as Esdeath responded by again, shoving me face first into her busom with unrelentingly possessive hands. I'd try to release myself yet failed, due to her immense grip.

"Don't you dare say such stupid things, Tatsumi. I will not let anyone bring you harm, if they do. They will incur my wrath and I will make them wish they hadn't messed with my property. With enough examples, they will fear you. Jealously will become respect, as will any petty resentments that they have for your past. I'll castrate, mutilate and ruin anyone, man or woman, that tries to touch you. I am your only true ally." My head remained in it's previous embarrassingly soft squishy position during Esdeath's long passionate speech, but that didn't make it any less terrifying in the slightest. Still, apart of me feels relieved, I can be thankful that as long as I keep one eye behind my shoulder at all times, I should avoid ending up in the Imperial Morgue as an bloodied corpse.

"Ye... Yeah, thanks. Sorry for doubting you, Esdeath." Lifting my blushing red face from the suffocation inducing cleavage after Esdeath finally loosens her death grip, I smile warmly straight at her as this unknowing act of cuteness proves even too much for the General, taking me strongly by the roots of my hair. She clamps her lips over my own, forcefully making out with me in the deserted corridor. Struggling to return any of it whilst straining from the painful experience of my hair being pulled, I wonder if Esdeath cared that this wasn't exactly an private place, then several long seconds later she'd stop by licking my cheeks before pulling away with an greatly satisfied grin.

"If you doubt me, then I must merely affirm my love for you, Tatsumi. Until you only believe in my words, nobody elses." Esdeath then took to striding down the corridor as she gestures again for me to follow her lead.

"Let's move, we've lost alot of time. Thankfully we haven't got far to go, Tatsumi."

I nod, and follow. Following the back of the person whom rules the Empire's military with an Iron Fist, the person whom I will be following for the rest of my life until my mission is complete.

General Esdeath, my devoted lover and my greatest enemy.

 **\- Honest - Time: 20:39 - Theatre Hall - The Imperial Palace.**

This has complicated things quite abit, quite abit indeed. Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army are shells of their former selves, broken and beaten by superior tactics and power. They had all the pieces together to eliminate me, yet lost them within' an blink of an eye.

Now Tatsumi and his Teigu, they're beloved ace in the hole belongs to the Empire. To me. I won't lie, his reasons for joining are dubious and highly likely to be treasonous, but I am not concerned. General Esdeath's own way of life will effective in permanetly breaking his spirit to the point that he won't have the gusto to think traitorous thoughts in the slightest.

I have ensured the Emperor and the Imperial Court that Tatsumi won't be an issue, because if so, I have the means to remove him from the chess board forever. False evidence is all I need to present before General Esdeath herself delivers Imperial Justice, besides, I might be lucky and uncover actual evidence of his treasonous ways in time. We shall see.

I believe the boy knows that without General Esdeath's vouch, he's easy pickings for the rest of the Empire's more ravenous individuals, knowing that should keep him from acting stupid.

Still, I must maintain my civil persona when speaking openly about Tatsumi with the General, I cannot lose her favor as my life depends on it. Budo is already glaring at me with murderous intent, I always knew that Night Raid's existence was keeping him from trying to remove my head in the first place. Now that they are in no position to fight the Empire without risking extinction, it'll only weeks before Budo strikes...

When he does, General Esdeath shall come to my defense. I will need to recall some of the other General's from the frontlines aswell. This could possibly provide Budo with allies, but only fools follow the greater fool. I'll send an recalling order via couriers soon, then we'll see what comes of the situation.

Until then, I'll enjoy lives many luxuries in peace. Luxuries afforded by my skill of manipulation.

Long Live the Emperor! Haha!

 **Believe me, I'm more surprised than you are that I included an Honest POV in this chapter but suppose you need to establish the playing field abit before you try to score, if you catch my drift and well damn, bet you weren't expecting this so early either!**

 **The fourth chapter should be abit less weird than this one, I might include Akame and Leone's situation aswell but we'll see.**

 **As with the matter of Makoto, Esdeath and Tatsumi's son sharing the same name as The Emperor. This wasn't intentional in the story or out, it's my own personal blunder but since I've grown fond of the name.**

 **We'll do it like this, The Emperor will always be addressed as that. Just "The Emperor." I believe it provides some mystery and importance to the child Emperor's shoulders whilst Makoto will always be referred to by name or as "The Ice Prince" Hopefully that'll stretch things out without causing confusion in the future.**

 **Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Fears Made Real

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **\- Esdeath - Time: 00:00 - Torture chambers - The Imperial Palace.**

The foul odor of humiliation and weakness fills the entire area, also dried blood aswell but that's not the point, it's closely accompanied by the pitiful cries of hopelessness. The shrieks of the scared. I care not for the horrible fates of the weak, I have come to enjoy myself tonight. Striding with excitement to my destination at the end of the hall, having recieved an special request to attend the interrogation of an highly ranked member of the Revolutionary Army so that I may lend my expertise and experience, it was an offer I couldn't refuse. I soak it all up within myself, the cries that litter the torture chambers, whilst happily basking in the exquisite torment that awaits the one plagued by weakness at my hands.

The lucky ones get to live on as lesser creatures, robbed of their former titles as humans, becoming my pets. Completely devoid of any semblance of ego nor pride, only frantic gestures and pleads to garner some fraction of attention from me is all that awaits them.

It's awfully cruel to them, especially when Tatsumi is the only soul, now and forever, that can ever hope to appease me and recieve my boundless love. Love that is everlasting.

Speaking of which, I shouldn't tell any of this to Tatsumi, they're still awfully sour about bringing up interrogations in the torture chambers involving members of the revolutionary movement so as long as I remain silent about my fun, we'll be happy together as can be.

"I hope you haven't started without me, I'll be seriously displeased if--" Slamming open the door from my pent up energy and raw excitement, I witness an sight that renders me absolutely breathless in an second glance and agonzingly weak for the longest time... What seems like forever.q From throbbing heartache and pure shock as my knees become weak with emotional trauma that invades me.

"...Tatsumi... Nooo..." I croak, my silent pained words are undoubtedly horribly choked as I lean against the nearest cracked blood ridden wall for support.

Hanging from the ceiling like an useless dead animal used for livestock by bloodied chains on an rusty metal hook piercing his back is the only man that my heart belonged to, and that heart is now dead and buried, never to return.

As is my precious Tatsumi, his entire face is bandaged messily as it's covered in blood but I can see the expression of agony on his mutliated face from the several torn pieces in the bandage, some of his beautiful white teeth have been pulled out and thrown across the blood splattered ground. His eyes are covered with bandage, yet blood follows down them.

His nude body that used to look so wonderful and perfect is covered with recent deep gashes from whipping and torture tools, scorcing hot iron has been used to brand the word "Bastard Traitor" many times on his ruined muscular arms that have been surgically cut in precise locations to make simple arm movement agony, which are now also without hands as only two stumps remain. Blood drips from them to the floor. The hands have been discarded on the floor like unwanted toys, I break from reality completely.

No reality without Tatsumi is worth consideration.

Unable to acknowledge the fact that Tatsumi is dead, and there is nothing I can do to save him. Nurse him, love him and make him better. That I failed him, when I promised to protect him, when he pleaded with me for his own security.

What's worse is that Tatsumi hadn't even confessed his love of his own freedom to me, before these bloody monsters took him from me.

Nor had he wanted to.

"Da... Damn, jumpy bastard. I knew that you would stop trying to strangle me, if I looped those hands of yours off." The large Torturer on the right stated, his proud insulting words slowly bring me back to reality.

"Aha, good thing you taught him to know his place, right? Ah, General Esdeath!" The lean meek Torturer on the left cheered, laughing at the top of his voice as he finally notices me.

 ** _"...Die."_** That is the only word they hear and it's the only word I say. There is no heartfelt speech, no frantic pleads for an explanation, only death and destruction now. The walls of the room grow thick with Ice, freezing the blood splattered on them, Tatsumi's blood. Death is all they deserve and destruction awaits the Empire. My palm reaches out for the two vile creatures, I inflict agony incarnate unto them by freezing every single blood vessel flowing through their bodies at sub zero temperatures, slowly but gradually killing them. I had frozen their vocal chords aswell, I wanted them to be unable to scream so they could reflect on the fulity of it all as they died...

Afterall, I had lost my voice. My Tatsumi, so they would lose theirs too.

 ** _Forever_**.

I didn't even spare them glances to see the fear swelling up in their pupils instead emotionlessly unhooking my beloved partner from his torment dangling from the dirty ceiling, taking him lovingly into my warmth for the last time. Laying together with him on the flithy ground without a care in the world, cuddling him tightly as his broken ribs feel awful against my body. His blood covers me as it escapes from the many wounds on him, I whisper countless apologies into his ear. Partly hoping for an response.

A response that deep down, I know I won't receive.

My heart is stone cold, but my cheeks are warm. Warm with the overwhelming tears that have been flowing since I first laid eyes on my love's horrific fate, the man who deserved so much more than this end.

There isn't much left than to destroy everything else around me, I can start over that way but Tatsumi will not be replaced as my ability to love came and died with him.

I won't allow it.

Suddenly, Tatsumi's corpse vanished without a trace from my grasp as I look in confusion. Is this an trick?!

It had sank into the floor as the bodies of the vermin fade away too.

My hatred and anger begjn boiling to the peak, demanding to know whom took him away by smashing and breaking the walls around me into pieces, they crumble topping over as they reveal...

 _Nothing_.

Merely empty pitch blank voids in the distance.

I awaken from my dream, my nightmare seconds later.

 **\- Esdeath - Time: 02:00 - Esdeath's Quarters - The Imperial Palace.**

My eyes spring open with an fierce jolt, instantly grabbing ahold of Tatsumi whom lays aside me, fully awake from my nightmare with an pounding aching heart that refuses to calm down. To think, I'd be this bothered by an simple nightmare, yet what I'm feeling against my body isn't Tatsumi's own...

 ** _He isn't there at all_**.

My violently shaking hands are tightly clutching a mere pillowcase in place of his body with hand bindings laying on the bed that I had tied Tatsumi with, they're broken apart. I'm pressing on the pillow so hard that it begins tearing apart as my nails dig deeper into the softness.

Why?! Why has Tatsumi vanished again, wasn't yesterday proof enough that he'd be willing to stay with me? I promised him protection, my love! Wasn't it enough?

 ** _Was he taken away?_**

On the wall nearest to the door would be framed photographs, taken during the late evening with myself and my forces.

The Jaegers, Riflemen and Infantry amongst the others that form my forces, standing directly beside me looking cute as can be, with my arm lovingly wrapped around them is Tatsumi. We took several other ones, with the two of us, that I keep in my personal collection but I'd rather have Tatsumi here than merely photographs.

Thinking on my feet, I throw my head straight down unto the place that Tatsumi slept on the bed, beside me. Inhaling and sniffling deeply against the surface, I faintly smell the scent of my love. He's been gone for sometime, then as the wind blows through the curtains, the rustling of paper catches my attention near me, sliding off an table in the room. Jumping off the bed violently to the point, it breaks apart, I take the paper into my hands. Careful to avoid crushing it with my heightened state.

Usually I'm able to remain alert of my surroundings, even whilst asleep so Tatsumi's dissapearance shouldn't have been possible, but the nightmare had affected my senses... The thought alone that my own weakness is the cause of this makes me feel sick to my stomach.

"I need some time to myself... I'll be back before morning comes, Esdeath. - Tatsumi." The letter reads.

Back before morning, huh? That's cute...

But you can't leave without my permission, not even for an single second Tatsumi.

Shoving the paper into my cleavage, I march to my closet, only wearing an loosely buttoned shirt, intend on bringing Tatsumi back. Regardless of his own stance on that.

If it wasn't for that nightmare, I'd have destroyed the entire room in frustration, but even now my heartaches so my mind only wants to find and bring my mate home.

Tatsumi, whenever you are and no matter where you go.

 ** _I'll always find you._**

 **\- Tatsumi - Time: 02:20 - Forest of Fallen Death - Outskirts of the Capital.**

Escaping the Capital was an literal nightmare, since I'm apart of Esdeath's Forces now. Everyone knows, or will know my face by the morning. So, I needed to take my time.

The hardest part was escaping Esdeath's death hold, breaking my binds then fleeing through an nearby balcony in the Capital's lower floors. I managed to memorize the patrol routes of the guards, avoiding them and knocking those that I couldn't out. Taking a sword from one of the soldiers knocked out. Esdeath will probably punishment me severly for this but I couldn't stay there, my mind is everywhere at the moment and I want to visit my friend's resting places before I turn my back on them for the dream that they wanted.

I've almost made it, shouldn't be too far.

As if by pure luck or my heightened awareness, I observe the swinging claws of an **Earth Dragon** heading straight in my direction, right for me.

Heh. I dodge easily without much problem, somersaulting off the ground using my hands as an spring board. Landing on my feet mere seconds later.

Alright, let's make sure work of the Danger Beast... I've heard Earth Dragon tastes great with accompanying soup, ha!

Aiming to decapitate, and then split the beast straight down the middle with my long sword. Pulling it from it's sheath, taking to the act as the beast's blood and body parts is now serving as decoration for the landscape, I scoff and turn away to walk towards my original destination.

"With such an large temper... I expected more, but I've dealt with more scarier beasts and they're human." Mockingly waving to the creature, I then pause as the disgusting sounds of groaning and hissing are behind me.

I killed it, right? Surely I did.

Turning around, to my surprise I realise that I haven't. It's been modified, as it's regenerating and what's worse is that the body parts I've cut are becoming separate twisted creatures of their own.

Frailing around as their screams turn into fierce roars, I stand shocked and stunned to the point I'm blinded sided by an surprise attack against my side, throwing me against an tall tree as the unthinkable speed caused by the swipe, creates an nasty looking injury against my chest with blood dripping from the claw marks.

Not only that, I've been impaled by the tree branch, piercing my chest although thankfully missing my vitals. Refusing to let this abomination beat me, I pull myself up...

...Only to find myself not needing to.

"Stay put, you don't need to hurt yourself anymore." An firm youthful voice asks as they drop from the tree above me, leaves falling down too. Wearing white tattered clothing as their entire face is concealed by an muffler and mask.

"Who ar..." I ask, having pulled myself from the tree's hold, leaning against it with my hand as blood covers the bark.

"Stay quiet aswell, I want to enjoy this." Huh? His mannerisms and tone, they're strikingly like Esdeath's own. Looks like she's got quite an avid fan. The small boy whom looks no older than ten from his height alone, charges towards the multiple creatures holding...

 ** _...Incursio?!_**

Wait, why?! Incursio looks different, it's blue instead of red... It can't be Incursio!

"Watch this, I have an desire to impress you!" Wielding an lookalike _Incursio_ is shocking but being able to activate it is mind-blowing. The only reason I haven't freaked out is because Incursio is locked away in the Palace, and I can't **_feel_** Incursio's presence calling to me...

It's calling to **_him._**

" ** _INCURSIOOOOO!"_** Calling with an fierce voice, bright blue light radiates beautifully from his location.

As the boy finally activates the Teigu, Incursio's avatar appears behind him, soon surrounding his entire body in it's protection as the armor is drastically different from my own. Looking akin to Bulat's crossed with Esdeath. It's even got ice lined against it's ridges and plating.

I'd hate to think how Bro would react if he saw this.

"Now... Here's the deal, you can't kill these!" The Teigu wielding boy shouts, striking each creature equally with his fists as I join in the fight, helping with my sword upon reacquiring it from the ground.

"Then how do we beat them?" I ask, slightly confused before leaping sideways to avoid gaining another set of claws on my already blood ridden shirt. Esdeath's going to kill me, if these things don't.

"Simple, we _freeze_ then shatter them into tiny pieces!" Esdeath won't wake for hours, and we can't let these monsters into the capital... It'll be an massacre!

"That's impossible, we don't have any Ice!" I shout, taking the original body by the tail before literally tossing it away with my upper body strength. Having improved in the recent days, I could lift more than that with Incursio.

"Don't underestimate me, just observe!" Suddenly as I glance in shock, observing as told when each empowered punch delivered by the boy slowly begins incasing the creature being hit savagerly in crystalline ice, the final blow completely shattering the monstrous creation into tiny pieces of ice.

The process is continued by the mysterious child whilst I distract the rest, becoming gradually more loose in my stance as blood flows from my body. Soon falling unto my knees when all of them are dead.

"Aaah..." I groan, as the boy deactivates Incursio, walking towards me with his left hand facing me. I become tense, unaware of his intentions. His entire face is covered still, I try and rise when the right hand of the boy stops me by holding my shoulder.

"Here." A empty voice alerts me to the presence of Ice forming against my chest's various wounds, it's searing dropping me immediately unto my back.

"Who... Who are you?" I demand, trying to pick myself up as the boy looks down at me with an air of satisfaction in his stance, pulling the mask from his face as it falls to the floor.

"I am..." His eyes...! Green?!

"The Son of **Esdeath** , and _you_." The hair... Blue!

My shocked eyes open wide in disbelief as I shake violently, my mind is instantly assaulted by questions upon questions, yet I can't ask any as his voice takes my attention.

"We will meet again, **_Dad._** When we do, I'll introduce myself to Mother and explain why I'm here, from the future." I reach upwards, catching an glimpse of Esdeath's Dragon Beast Mount in the distance as my... Son, vanishes from infront of me with Incursio's invisibility as I fall unconscious from raw shock, internal injuries and confusion as Esdeath's feet land unto the ground.

A son...?

Impossibl...

 **Hey guys, I hope you weren't too freaked out by the beginning of the chapter and immediately stop reading. xd**

 **I apologize for the detail, but I needed the shock value. I was going to include a warning but considering the rating and the mature nature of the source material, I deemed it not required.**

 **A huge part of this issue is establishing that Esdeath in the end, is still Esdeath. That whilst Tatsumi might affect her behaviour... He can't completely change her. Unless, of course. He's freaking dead whilst apart of her forces.**

 **Also, important part! Father and Son meet! While I wanted Esdeath to join in, having Makoto in the capital before they're relationship becomes firm would be abit dangerous, as afterall Tatsumi hasn't even been apart of the Empire for an day yet.**

 **Anyways, rate and review! Stay tuned for more!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Complications Arising

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **\- Tatsumi - Time: 10:42 - Training Hall - The Imperial Palace.**

It's been only seven days since I met, my supposed lovechild with **_General Esdeath_** for the first time, as it were. Although I didn't wake up until yesterday afternoon in truth, apparently according to Esdeath... I was stuck in an perpetual comatose state from extreme sudden shock, and my injuries. I'm not surprised, it was abit too much to take in. Her doctors had expertedly mended my wounds sustained from the fight within the same night, probably under threat of torture, and gave me into the care of Esdeath.

From what Wave said to me when we met each other once again, she never left my side during that time. Not once, aside bathroom breaks. Filling out reports and writing letters from the bedside.

Thankfully when she asked about the incident shortly upon my awakening, as I had been surrounded by numerous pieces of evidence eluding to an confrontation. I managed to craft up an convincing lie about being ambushed by wild feral Danger Beasts, lying further that I managed to draw them off before succumbing to my injuries.

She was pretty confused, why they didn't merely return then and kill me upon exposing my weakness but I argued that they were wary of the presence to an greater predator and the pecking order.

I didn't need to explain the makeshift ice bandages as she had assumed that she, herself was responsible on an unconscious level. Protecting me regardless of distance between us, awfully romantic if you ask me.

All wasn't well however as when she had finally stopped acting affectionate and concerned for my health, Esdeath immediately took ahold of me by the pyjama collar with an scary twisted vengeful look in her glaring eyes, strongly demanding that I never leave her side unless consulting her and **_ONLY_** her first. Possessively proclaiming that I wasn't allowed to even perform my given expected duties as an Jaeger without the watchful eye of Kurome, Wave or herself.

Fair is fair... I have alot to improve on before they even begin to trust me with tasks on my own, so I will need to actively aim for geniune success in my given missions. I can't sabotage everything as it'll be simply too obvious with how many eyes are observing me at the moment.

When I asked about Incursio's whereabouts, Esdeath herself took me to see it, quietly resting in the Teigu Gallery of the Palace, protected by the Imperial Guard, behind seals only accessible to the one whom currently held the prestigious rank of Great General of the Empire.

I was greatly relieved to see my beloved weapon still there, as it makes the kid's story alot more believable. Two Incursio's existing at the same time is impossible without explanation, unless some form of Teigu related distortion is the cause.

Speaking of which, I hadn't told Esdeath anything about him, about the boy that narrowly saved my life in the forest.

At all.

Sure, it's clear as day that they are related. To the point, they could be cousins! But I don't want to invoke an odd reaction from her by proclaiming that her beloved child with me is waltzing around the very Empire as we breathe and speak.

Because I have the suspicion that she'd actually **_BELIEVE_** me and that isn't good for anyone, especially me!

My punishment for leaving unannounced during the night, our first night together in ages, was simple yet awfully humiliating at the same time, I was made to let Esdeath massage my body without moving at all... Laying down against our bed on my back, blind folded and restrained with my arms and legs spread out in an X formation. Which was easy as my body wasn't able to motivate itself most of the time to move properly as that's what happens when you fall into comas.

Seems tame so far... Aside the blindfold, restraints and the fact she removed everything but my boxers, so I could very much feel Esdeath's warm breath hit against my bare skin. That is when Esdeath begun her massage, yet she didn't use her hands in the slightest...

Instead torturing me mercilessly by placing freezing cold pieces of ice summoned from thin air across the surface of my skin, paying extra care to avoid actually inflicting long term damage, I screamed and cried out for hours to the point I must have awoken everyone on the floor without fail.

With each instinctual reaction, I gave. Esdeath grew happy sighs as that motivated her actions even moreso.

She eventually stopped and merely settled with staying against my currently freezing cold torso, that's when I realized...

 ** _Esdeath wasn't wearing anything at all..._**

As before, she must be trying to awaken my carnal urges with this risky act, the urges that I've been suppressing even before I joined the Jaegers. I reacted with shock, as she clung into that, aggressively rubbing herself against me with heated breaths.

That continued for sometime, eventually she stopped dry humping me, whispering words of adoration, love and possession into my ears before taking ahold of my cheeks... She must've slid an fast reacting sedative into my wet mouth when we kissed, because I fell asleep instantly after that.

Now I'm in the training hall with Kurome, trying to hone my skills without Incursio's edge. Esdeath is away on important business, and Wave has been given time off to visit some friends in the Imperial Navy. But unlike with Wave, I can't appeal to the humanity in Kurome to lessen the restrictions that Esdeath has enforced unto me. Even as I perform all manners of exercise, she still observes me closely without blinking... Apparently Wave is quite smitten with Kurome, but she freaks me out more than anything.

I really need to gain the freedom to do what I like without observation!

 _This is killing me, slowly!_

 **\- Dr. Stylish - Time: 12:42 - Central Laboratory - Dr. Stylish's Deserted Island**

"So, tell me little man... Do you have it?" I asked with an empty yet sarcastic tone of voice, currently sitting on an wooden chair with my arms folded. My position in the laboratory is directly beside an pod containing human of personal interest, it's container is masked with an thick sheet.

"Of course... Taken from the Revolutionary Army's old HQ. I believe you have my monsters, Stylish." The large man presented an gleaming metal case with an symbol signifying importance, carefully opening it with an movement of his hand. The case revealed exactly what I had been after- Perfector! My lost teigu, well, speaking literally the instrument of my fallen predecessor and my creator. The original Doctor Stylish, alas, I have arisen from the grave! As expected, of my brilliance! Possessing the memories of the original, and just about all of his beauty and grace!

Excitedly taking the Teigu, immediately trying it on as I flex my fingers, moving them at blinding speed before ceasing with an satisfied grin. Barely holding back crazed laughter as I glance towards the man whom awaited his reward. Clicking my fingers in an overly dramatic fashion, I summon forth the newest members of _**Team Stylish**_ to the scene, as they pose beautifully upon their arrival. They stand behind me, awaiting my commands as I gesture with an welcoming smile.

"Of course, I do. They'll be delivered to your estate within' the coming days, General Agotian." Agotian smiled in response to my words, I have every intention of fulfilling my side of the bargain as without the General's assistance, I wouldn't be here! He provided alot of delicious human subjects to test my cloning theory amongst my personal experiments and without him, I wouldn't have solved the key to immortality! Now I can exact my revenge against Night Raid, the Revolutionary Army and that damn brown haired kid with the absurd amount of strength.

"Very well, Stylish. Still... I have an question, what's with the mask?" My wide smile instantly faded as the attention is drawn to my mask, it's design is plainly white with an lense fitted on the left most side. The mask itself is only covering one side of my face, the left, as stated. The reason is because, despite my absolutely _**FLAWLESS**_ resurrection into the land of the living once more...! The cloning had adverse affects on my appearance, I did everything that I could to mend this, but everything has escaped me. Usually scar tissue is simplistic, but instead of scarring tissue... This is more akin to an tumor of sorts, thus I must hide my appearance until I can be free of the hideousness that Resurrection has cost me.

"Merely an simple fashion choice, why do you ask General...? Are you planning on seducing me~?" I proclaim, leaning excitedly closer towards him with fingers twirling around in anticipation as he backs away in barely hidden disgust.

"Looks like you've gone mad with isloation, Stylish! Get your head on straight!" He barks at me.

My ploy is successful as he ceases questioning and begins to make tracks, I glance towards the members of my party.

"Load the Danger Beasts unto the Ferry... Also, pack everything of ours. Leave nothing behind, take everything that isn't already nailed down!" I shout gleefully as the members of Team Stylish spread out like mice to fulfill my orders. The reason for my drastic desire for relocation is simple, now that I'm back... I must make my return to the stage, my return to the Capital. I cannot exact my delicious revenge without having an physical presence in the Empire. So, I must rejoin the Jaegers, provided they are still active. According to General Agotian, they are and General Esdeath is leading them yet only two members remain...

But not for long~ ** _Hahahahaha!_**

General Agotian is already long gone, so I finally remove the concealing cover from the pod as I greet the visage of **_Seryu Ubiquitous_** with an incredibly wave smile as they float aimlessly in the pod's liquid. Currently being supplied oxygen, I had heard about her demise at the hand's of Night Raid. She had apparently been completely vaporized, so obtaining genetic material would have been impossible, if it weren't for the fact that I had regularly came into contact with Ubiquitous herself when augmenting her strength with my brilliant thoughtful modifications!

She is perfection, she will aid me in the restoration of the brilliance that I bring to the world...!

Her Resurrection was surprisingly smooth, she had no physical malformations... Much to my jealously as she appeared emotionally well, but I don't value sanity.

I value effectiveness, and it's ability to do jobs beautifully with style!

"So, Miss Ubiquitous..." I announce with an clear voice, gently knocking on the glass container as she stares aimlessly into the nothingness without giving me an single glance, how awfully rude.

Manners, manners!

 _"...Would you like to go home?"_ I finish with an hearty chuckle, adjusting my mask with an movement of my hand.

As expected, Seryu's eyes dart straight at me as she looks more alive than ever before. Yet, she's behaving very out of line. Banging on the glass with such unruly excitement, hopefully General Esdeath will be able to calm that rebelliousness of her.

"I'll take that as an definite yes, little lady~" I coo, grinning as the laboratory equipment is moved all around the room in preparation for our departure.

The Era of Stylish shall be born, just you wait!

 **\- Esdeath - Time: 17:42 - Conference Hall - The Imperial Palace.**

"As the esteemed Prime Minister of the Empire..." Extending his hands in welcome, Honest smiles warmly towards all of the gathered Generals, and military officials.

"Let me be the first to welcome you all back to the glorious Empire that you've all sworn, and served so very loyally..." We're all currently sat around an circular table, usually used for conferences and secret dealings. Among the few Generals that sit on the table, I recognize one or two of them. The proud bald bulky man with an thick moustache dressed heavily in armor plating as if he's compensating for some feeble personal issue, is General Agotian, whom briefly acted as my subordinate punching bag in my beginning days in the Empire. Being obsessed with taming wild beasts as he is, allowed me to bully him into submission by skillfully killing the creatures that he sought to capture during his hunts, precisely at the moment that he was going to succeed.

From his refusal to exchange glances with me, he doesn't overly happy to be near me.

How awfully cute, but ultimately useless.

The second familiar face is General Morgana, she's an former member of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, previously tasked with the duty of ascertaining traitors from the loyal.

Sometimes even ordered with the framing of those loyal or otherwise.

She reportedly managed to ascend to the rank of General by skillfully manipulating those that aimed to do the same with herself and using their own tricks against them in turn, soon she ended up exactly where she is now after burying the evidence of her crimes. She's quite resourceful, I can respect that and from the looks of her attire, I can see that her days in the Bureau haven't truly left her as she's dressed in business attire, black suit and tie, expected of an secretive agent.

The newest additions are two Generals, both male and currently in their thirties from the appearance of the worn faces that they wear, that I haven't had the pleasure of properly speaking with, silently mumble amongst themselves.

But by their tame demeanor whilst around me, I believe they've at least heard of me. The rest of the council's members include the Great General accompanied by the men of the Imperial Guard and the respective General's own personal guards. In truth, I didn't bring anyone for guards as I don't require protection at all... What I require is Tatsumi, but I couldn't bring him by strict order of Budo.

I simply cannot wait until I remove the head from that man, then I will not need to suffer hours away from my beloved due to emergency meetings and trival troop inspections.

That isn't to imply that I wish to slack on my duties, I have absolutely no intention of that. Still, if I am forced to leave Tatsumi in the company of my men then I suspect that eventually he'll begin to feel lonely and seek me out... As much as I'm giddy with the thought of him running into my arms, acceping my embrace, I cannot fathom the risk that he'll be putting himself through. Regardless of the clarification of his eternal position as my one and only man, there's some stubborn individuals that simply will not understand that solid fact...

 _ **That he is mine.**_

They must be eliminated, securing the position of Great General shall allow me to decapitate the head of absolutely **_anyone_** that dares strike against my poor precious Tatsumi, I'm shaking with excitement at the thought.

"As you all know..." Honest coughs into his hand, musing abit as he sat down.

"The Revolutionary Army is finally waving the white flag as it's leaders crumble into dust, fleeing to the lesser nations away from the Empire." He relays the news that I am well aware of, simply for the benefit of the Generals that haven't fought against the threat of the Revolution, or their allies, in sometime.

"...And what of Night Raid, Prime Minister?" General Agotian asked, leaning forwards with an eager look in his eye.

"Night Raid is down to two members, Agotian." I proudly proclaim, throwing my leg across the other with an wide dangerous grin.

"...Huh?" Staggers Agotian, he surely wasn't expecting that.

"I killed former General Najenda, Night Raid's commander personally myself." I boast, gesturing with my hand as the fall of my rival was something I had relished alot. I believe killing Najenda caused Tatsumi's mind to panic, probably invoking his acceptance of my love... Win win for me.

"...Wish I'd been there." Silently spoke Morgana, nodding in respect as I smirk directly at her upon my observation of the Agent's acknowledgement.

"Now now... Let us respect the fall of our enemies, and toast to our own combined success!" Honest roars with pride, clearly in actuality thinking nothing for the fall of the Revolutionary Movement.

"His majesty will be personally hosting an big extravagant ball for the brave valiant members of our forces, it's invitation only so patiently await your invite." Honest chuckles, raising an wine glass skyward, closely followed by everyone including myself minus Budo performing the same action then drinking it's contents. I savour my taste, as if it were Tatsumi's own blood sliding across my tongue.

Everyone aside myself and the Prime Minister hadn't notice that during the entire conference, the supposed leader of the entire Empire's military hadn't uttered an single word... Only stared, like an mindless dumb animal.

Straight at the Minister infront of him.

 _Looks like this'll be fun._

 **Chapter Five, exciting isn't it?**

 **New characters, old ones returning from the grave!**

 **The Manga/Anime that made killing off characters famous is reversing that trend for my own personal desires, aren't I evil...?**

 **Anyway not much else aside from, guess what? I've ordered myself some Tatsumi cosplay of my own!**

 **Author-san will be wearing it with pride once it arrives, I currently possess the green eyed killer's wig so once it arrives the set will be complete!**

 **(The cosplay is Tatsumi's second outfit, the one he wears during the island part and my personal favourite!)**

 **I'd include links to my instagram, but aside from the shameless plugging I don't know what links I can include here...**

 **Oh well, I'll simply add some story related commissions that I have instead...!**

 **(Check my profile picture, it'll be there until the next chapter! Date is: 20/04/2018.)**

 **(Work is again done by the lovely Meranyssa via dA/Deviant Art)**

 **Until next time, guys!**


	6. Chapter 6 - I Love You

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 ** _(Lemon alert, fair warning.)_**

 **\- Tatsumi - Time: 19:12 - Esdeath's Quarters - The Imperial Palace.**

My daily activities haven't been all that exciting since I joined Esdeath, mainly training and waiting around for her when she went off to perform her duties. Apart of me is thankful for that, but I know that it won't be this way forever. Eventually once she is convinced that I am hers, Esdeath will begin testing my abilities with tasks for certain.

But for now... The only task that is available to me, is waiting for Esdeath in the silence of her luxurious quarters. I had been accompanied by Kurome, whom were ensuring I didn't move on Esdeath's orders and she had only left recently upon the arrival of an courier that alerted her to the conclusion of the meeting that Esdeath was partaking in, therefore leaving early to avoid interrupting us. The sheer boredom is killing me, but to my surprise...

There's an knock on the door as I walk over towards it, seeing no reason to avoid seeing who it is nor any harm in doing so.

Opening one of the double doors, I peek through as an masked Imperial Courier greets me with an salute. Clearly recognizing me as Esdeath's main direct subordinate.

"Aha, sir! You are just the man that I wanted to see!" The Courier reaches inside his pocket with an swift movement of his hand, immediately placing an letter into my open hands as he'd dash off without another word. My confusion is paramount, the guy certainty seemed in an hurry. Thing is, I can't tell why... Even if Esdeath is supposed to be returning here, she's on the other end of the palace and isn't particularly known for rushing things unless she deems so.

Sighing heavily with tiredness in my eyes as I place the envelope into my breast pocket, currently wearing my plain white coat with an black under shirt, walking to the study so I can place it unto the rest of Esdeath's pile of letters and written reports. I've thankfully managed to create an personal space in the study for myself, reserving an table of my own to write my own reports and journal entries when the time comes, I haven't reached that level of boredom just yet nor been allowed to take some of Esdeath's duties as my own.

Upon my arrival to the desk, my rampant curiosity grows ahold of my better judgement as I take an quick glance at the letter itself as my eyes dart open with unimaginable surprise.

 ** _The letter is addressed to me, Tatsumi of the Jaegers._**

And I'd recognize that neat handwriting anywhere... It's Akame's handwriting.

I waste no time opening the letter as I fall unto my knees in dismay as the contents reveal an simple picture on the sheet of paper inside it.

Night Raid's Symbol. The iconic visage that I once stood under proudly before everything was ruined by the Empire, I know exactly why I was sent it...

To strike fear and doubt inside me, nobody in the Empire at the moment are better at seeing through Night Raid's tactics than me. It's that they don't deem them an threat that they haven't questioned me about it, and Esdeath herself too. Staying on my knees, I gradually realize what this means for me, it means that I've either been targeted by Akame and Leone, or that they're aware of my intentions and simply warning me to stop whilst I'm ahead.

 ** _But I can't._**

As much as I want to, I really can't stop whatever the heck I'm doing now for anyone. I've got this far- Swallowed my pride, and begrudgingly embraced my new life as an member of the Empire. The Empire that I intend to destroy from within' by using the most strongest fighter in it for my own ends. Throwing it all away now when I've got the advantage is the same as turning my back on my friends for an second time, but regardless of how many times that I try justify my actions with the dreams of the greater good. Guilt constantly erodes me, eating away at my resolve as Esdeath's compassion only serves to send me through loops.

...Thing is, I _think_ I'm beginning to love her as absolutely crazy as it sounds.

Leaving Night Raid, left an void inside my heart... One that I hoped wouldn't be filled so I could remain focused on the Empire's destruction long enough to actually bring it about. Thing is, I severely underestimated Esdeath's own love, and my own instinctual need for it.

You see, it really doesn't matter if I end up falling in love with Esdeath for real, it might have already happened.

At the end of the day... I'm an Assassin, I kill as easy I breathe. All I need is one moment without hesitation when she is vulnerable and that is it. Game Over for her.

General Esdeath will die, at my hand.

However I cannot simply just murder the one person who's keeping me alive as soon as the chance presents itself... Only when the Empire is completely without direction and hope, is when I will strike. The Empire's corruption must be cut out from the source, I must remove the Prime Minister above all else then the Emperor. What's worse is that I still haven't figured out what the boy meant, mine and Esdeath's son... I mean, that's more fuel unto the fire that I eventually admit to my growing feelings in the future, hopefully anyway.

The other implications, if not, are scary to think about.

Losing all energy to continue waiting for Esdeath whilst staying on my knees, I fall backwards and hit the ground with the letter residing on my side. Staring at the beauitfully decorated ceiling with my arms spread across the floor. He was no older than ten, from the looks of it. Still, that doesn't make sense... How could he move like that, so quickly with the discipline of an trained warrior. Striking without holding anything back, and his speech was awfully refined aswell. Nothing like any of the children that I've seen that have shared the same youthful features as him.

From the looks of it, Esdeath has already molded him into her own personal pride and joy from wherever he's from. Did I even have an part of his childhood, was I allowed actually? His eyes looked at me as if he been looking at somebody he was surprised to see.

That alone is enough for my mind to create doubt, and enough to distract me to the fact that Esdeath had already entered the room and is currently standing over me with her hands firmly on her curvy hips.

"Tatsumi... Whatever are you doing on the flo--" Esdeath says with an obviously amused tone, then she stops as an deathly chill is felt in the air. She must've spotted the letter on the floor as I'm proven right when she swoops down and grabs it, instantly observing the illustration on the paper before violently tearing it apart into pieces, into shreds.

"Esdeath...!"

"I will not let them take you, nor intimidate you... You belong to me and this proves it, they want you dead." Esdeath, regardless of the obivious threat to my life is looking immensely pleased and proud.

"I knew that from the start, Esdeath." I admit, knowing that this path is an one way street, I do not expect forgiveness.

"Then why didn't you tell me, my love?" Esdeath exclaims loudly, sounding awfully hurt as she leans down abit.

"Because I didn't want to hide behind you, that's why!" Leaning back up as I sit, I respond.

"Hiding behind me doesn't make you weak, Tatsumi. If anything I want that, from today I will not let you from my sight." It's true that I didn't want to seem weak, or cowardly but I also didn't want to admit that they were after me since that would be the same as acknowledging my betrayal.

"That isn't fair-- They won't strike anyway! Did you forget that they were once my friends!" Our former bond will provide some time for me to plant the seeds of anarchy before I am hunted down.

"I don't care about fairness. Besides, You don't need friends, Tatsumi. Just me." Esdeath possessively states with an firm tone, sliding her boot against my leg as I continue to keep my gaze on her.

"I only have you, Esdeath." I admit, lowering my head as my hair covers my face.

"...What did you say?" Esdeath is visibly stunned by this, ceasing the intimate motion's of her leg outright.

"You heard me, everyone else wants me dead or imprisoned. Both Night Raid and the Empire that you serve, I exist solely for you now."

"...Get up and take an shower-- You have two minutes to complete this and return to me, in the _bedroom_." Esdeath orders with authority in her tone, I am unaware of the tightly concealed deep lust in her words.

"Esde--" Realising that whatever I said, must have either made quite the impact, I work damage control by raising my head upwards before being cut off.

" _Now_." She presses, leaving the study through the door, entering the bedroom as I lift myself from the comfortable floor and head to the washroom.

Upon entering inside, I remove my clothes and clean myself.

Then I leave, with seconds to spare. Heading to the brightly lit bedroom, which is now completely dark. All of the candles have been frozen with Ice.

"Esdeath, are you there?" I beckon, my towel wrapped around me as I search for my pjyamas. There's an closet specifically for me in the bedroom, Esdeath had bought clothes suitable for me on the day of my submission, they're all made of the finest materials, with symbols of the clan that she belonged to.

I take some spare clothes from my closet, some simple pants and and shirt.

I sigh, deciding that whatever Esdeath is playing at isn't worth indulging as I walk closer to the exit. I can hardly see infront of me, but I had memorized the location of the double doors leading out.

I recoil in shock when my hand grasps against the door knob, it's frozen solid and won't budge. I push myself against the door trying to escape--

"...Leaving so soon, Tatsumi?" Esdeath sweetly whispers directly into my ear as I begin turning, only to be stopped when her hands wrap around my chest, pulling me into her as she's lacking any semblance of clothing.

My naked back, and her naked chest collide.

"Esd... Aren't you angry with me?" I state, staying absolutely still as she presses her busom further against me.

"Not one bit, what you said made it _very_ clear that you wish to be mine." Esdeath happily explains, swiftly undoing the towel from my waist as it falls.

We're both naked now-- This isn't good...!

I squirm, trying to deny the slowly building lustful thoughts in my head. My urges, as Esdeath has given into hers fully. Her tongue slides against my ear as her hands reach downwards, I try to prevent them from reaching my groin but fail...

She takes ahold of my erect length with her left hand, grinning proudly behind me as I lose balance abit. Falling deeper into her leaning body.

"Aah... Hey!" I shout, trying to dissuade her.

"My my...! If I knew you were **_this_** impressive, Tatsumi. I would have given into my lust, ages ago." Squeezing me in her hands, Esdeath praises me whilst also sniffing against my hair heavily.

"You don't need to do this--" I argue, breaking from her hold, both of them as she places her hands against her hips.

My eyes immediately see the beauty of her refined body as my face grows even more crimson, which she finds cute.

"Oh, but I do. We are lovers, Tatsumi." Esdeath draws closer to me, eventually taking me by the hand.

"Is it any surprise that I want to be intimate with you? The man I love and adore." Then, any hesitation and restraint falls me. Esdeath's compassion and love finally fill enough of the hole in my heart to make me agree.

"Yeah... I guess so, I want that too." I nod, then I'm immediately led to the luxurious double bed by the hand. Being basically tossed between the two pillows and against the mattress as Esdeath climbs afterwards.

"I love you, Tatsumi." Esdeath dreamily sighs as she climbs over me, directly ontop of me.

"...Yeah, same here Esdeath." I state, partly heistant but any guilt and self loathing is forgotten about during this intimacy.

Esdeath's smile is radiant, she gestures herself so that she is sitting on my stomach then asks me something with an voice lacking any desire or lust.

"Are you an virgin, Tatsumi?" Usually such an embarrassing question would make me choke, but now I answer truthfully with an nod.

"Yeah..."

"That's brilliant, I am too." Before I can reply. Esdeath inserts me into herself with an deep quick motion as we both release an moan that echoes throughout the room. Leaning against the pillows, I breathe out, Esdeath looks incredible from this view and she's happily smiling at me.

"Aaaah... Mhmmm.." I murmur.

"We're just getting _started_ , my love" Esdeath clarifies, giving another deep motion against my member as blood begins dripping down from my shaft, I can hardly see it. Esdeath doesn't seem to be bothered by it, eventually beginning to ride me like an animal.

"That's it, Tatsumi...!" She shouts, moaning loudly with each bounce of her hips. I continue leaning against the pillows, to which Esdeath also leans down. Taking my lips to mine, kissing me passionately while rocking her body unto my own.

I return the kisses as best I can, becoming absorbed by the pleasure flowing through me as much as Esdeath is, trying to keep up with my thrusts as the sensation of her inner walls wrapping and constricting my groin drive me crazy.

"You-- You feel great inside, Esdeath!" I shout, Esdeath begins nibbling against my neck, seemingly intent on marking me with her teeth. I wriggle about as that only motivates her more.

"From now on, let's do this always!" She triumphantly proclaims, I can tell she's serious, clawing against my chest abit as she alternates between that and possessively drawing circles on it with her fingertips. Still slamming herself against me, forcing me deeper inside her depths and closer to my limit.

As the halfway point is reached, I send my arms up and throw my head back. Esdeath is looking surprised yet very pleased as she realises that my hands are firmly taking ahold of her large jiggling breasts, squeezing them tightly as she rides me more and more.

"Good boy~ Who's an good boy?" Esdeath begins lovingly stroking my hair affectionately and slows down her hips pace, grinning widely and dangerously.

"Tell me, Tatsumi... Who's an good boy?" I don't want to answer but the sweetness of Esdeath's tone and the slow yet deep pace of her hips convince me to.

"I... I am..." I barely state, panting heavily as Esdeath takes ahold of my hair to pull me closer as I groan from the harsh action. She wraps her arms around me, her legs too. Completely surrounding me as I sit up. Still stroking my hair with her closest hand.

"You are perfect, Tatsumi... Words cannot describe how I feel about you." Esdeath sighs, licking her lips. Hidden by her chest, I smile apprectively before surprising Esdeath by restarting the thrusting as she had outright stopped. She pleasurably gasps as I intense my hold around her body with her copying aswell.

We make love for many more minutes, ending with me releasing myself inside her upon her own request. After that, she spent many more minutes simply kissing and cuddling in the nude, Esdeath's face seemed very satisfied yet I could notice that she wasn't completely satisfied and very much wanted to continue.

Thankfully she held herself back for my sake, probably not wishing to ruin the moment. When I had asked about the possible implications for releasing inside her. Esdeath clarified that she could lower the temperature of certain parts of her body. Meaning that she would only get pregnant when she deemed it so, which I'm really thankful for.

I've made an leap in my relationship with Esdeath and towards my goal, everything is falling into place...

I should be trusted now... I hope.

 **As I always state, I'm pretty bad with lemon so I hope that wasn't overly sour for your tastes, but let me know!**

 **So Esdeath and Tatsumi's relationship has grown, but will it last? Hard to say with all of the players making themselves known, everyone could pose an threat! Hopefully that won't affect poor Makoto but we'll see!**

 **Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Misinformation Campaign

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **\- Tatsumi - Time: 10:00 - Canyon Lake - Outskirts of the Capital.**

"Are you _certain_... This is the way to the meeting point?" I ask with a

tired voice, panting abit as I adjusted the position of the rucksack on my back. Containing enough food for three days, two person tent with sleeping bags made for two people, fold up flag's of Esdeath's forces and fireplace equipment.

"Of course I am, Tatsumi. Just don't go vanishing on me now that you've got Incursio back." Wave joked with a chuckle, tapping Grand Chariot on his own rucksack with an nod as we walk beside by side each other in the open canyon, devoid of life.

The fact that I've got Incursio back is a sure surprise but an welcome one, especially considering the circumstances that made me give it up in the first place. The Great General Budo demanding that I can't be trusted with a Imperial Arm in the capital for the security of the Empire's less formidable officials.

Apparently Esdeath managed to twist Budo's arm abit, since we're many miles away from the Capital. She probably argued that I couldn't hurt anybody.

Knowing that, I'll probably have it confiscated upon my arrival back to the Capital.

The reason why I'm currently strolling through the vast canyon with my fellow Jaeger is because of Esdeath, funny enough. Ever since we took our relationship to another level, I've been given alot more trust and freedom to do as I like. It's been days since then, and it's currently morning with the sun shining above us.

Esdeath decided that some fun was needed, especially considering the fact that she was still in a really good mood. Informing us to prepare for an hunt in the outskirts of the Capital, Esdeath is currently partnered up with Kurome on the other side of the canyon and I'm with Wave, as usual.

He was pretty nervous about accompanying me, considering the last time that we went hunting together that ended in my escape. When he voiced this with an politeness expected of a seasoned soldier, Esdeath informed him that whilst impressively strong in battle, Kurome couldn't handle me when it came down to it and only Grand Chariot served as my equal in close proximity combat that could distract me until she arrived...

...I felt awfully flattered, really.

Not only that, there's another General that we're supposedly meeting aswell called "Agotian" whom invited Esdeath to this hunt in the first place, her only agreeing on the last minute.

"Now that I've got Incursio back, I won't dream of disappearing now..." I say with an smirk, renewing Wave's confidence in me as he smirks back in turn. Jogging abit as I catch up with the same pace, both of us knowing very damn well that Esdeath will reach the site of our camp way before us and Kurome aswell.

We jogged together for another hour at a reasonable pace with short breaks every five or so minutes until we came closer to the meeting spot, stopping for an breather.

Wave caught a glimpse of an nearby reptilian looking S-Class Danger Beast, currently prowling across the canyon in the search for prey. Myself and Wave glance across to each other as we express shock on our faces, most S-Class Danger Beasts, or Risk Species were mostly wiped out and used in the creation of the many Imperial Arms.

Incursio, included.

As with all Danger Beasts, it's clearly extremely hostile towards us, already having picked up our scent.

"So, what's the plan... You've got one, right? Because I haven't." Wave chuckles, sliding the large rucksack from his back and unto the floor as I do the same, gripping Incursio tightly.

"Well, we came to hunt Danger Beasts." I smirked, adopting an fighting stance.

"So we follow orders, that's by fine me!" Shouting loudly as Wave reveals Grand Chariot to the sunlight, also beginning to prepare himself for the upcoming difficult battle.

"...I'll start, follow on behind me."

 ** _"INCURSIOOOOO!"_** Immediately slamming Incursio's sealed sword form into the hard ground as the canyon's rocky surface cracks violently under the blade, pieces of rock flying out, bright crimson light radiates all around me as Wave watches the approaching Danger Beast with attentive eyes, holding Grand Chariot. Soon, Incursio's armor is tightly wrapped around my entire body. Summoned with an explosive shockwave of power that shatters any remaining rocks on the floor into dust. Filling me with an unimaginable sense of bliss to be partnered with my bro's entrusted weapon.

Yes! I feel complete again, Incursio shouldn't have been taken from me in the first place...!

My white cape flows in the gentle breeze blowing through the canyon, as I closely examine the brilliantly shining armor on my body.

"Alright...! Let's have ourselves some fun, Wave!" My voice echoes with raw untapped potential.

Wave's transformation into the armor of Grand Chariot is less dramatic, changing instantly into the armor form from the cutlass that it was originally. Usually I can do this, but I decided with the more dramatic route as Incursio itself hasn't been connected with me in sometime, so performing the full transformation is alot more safer on my body.

As myself and Wave dart forward to the oncoming Danger Beast threat, we both observe an crystalline structure, made from Ice resembling an pillar rising from the other side of the canyon. Seems Esdeath had sensed Incursio's activation, I can almost guarantee that she's pleased.

Realising that there's no need to hold back against such an ferocious creature, Wave and I strike the scaly reinforced skin of the Danger Beast. We both know full well that bladed weapons won't work against it, realising that repeatedly pounding it into submission is the only way that we'll bring it down without losing any limbs of our own.

"It's pretty quick...! Careful, Tatsumi!" Wave beckons, currently leaping away from the fiercely slashing reptilian, obviously worried about me due to my importance to Esdeath.

"Keep your head on, I've fought you till an stand till in the past!" I interject, striking harshly with my empowered gauntlet's fist against the S-Class Danger Beast's side whilst it's tirelessly pursuing Wave.

How stubborn of you, you should always keep your eyes on every foe around you...!

An fatal mistake, ha!

Despite my effective blows, it's nowhere near defeated yet. Wave continues making himself an appealing target by darting across in its radius, actually getting struck by the creature's razor sharp claws at one moment, recovering moments later with minimum injury as Grand Chariot's armor took the hit.

Of course, there's an chance that Esdeath will arrive in time to lend us some assistance. But we can take this foe for ourselves anyway! I'll show it the results of my recent physical training...!

" _Haaaaaa...!"_ I loudly scream with an volume that echoes my fiery passion throughout the entire canyon, descending straight down to bring my fist unto the Dangerous beast's spine, intending to paralyse it, rendering it completely incapable of attack.

"Blinding Binding Chains of Might, seal my foe within' your Light!" An unknown voice calls out vigorously whilst holding a metallic looking rod, with an mace connected to the end of it. Before I can react, and reach my target... My entire body is immediately compressed and restrained by several glowing chains that have no physical properties, but I can VERY much feel them against my body as they begin gradually crushing me.

Wave looks on, completely shocked as the Danger Beast below me, obviously worn from battle is also caged by the man's chant. It's hide and body soon get reduced to bloody pieces of meat as it was unable to withstand the chains pressure, I realize that's exactly what awaits me if I cannot break free from this hold...!

Where is Esdeath, huh?!

"...Such an shame to kill such an effective beauitful creature, but required for your safety Jaeger Wave." The Man calls out, looking extremely sorrowful and depressed as I struggle in vain.

Trying to get myself out of this damn mess, ugh!

"General Agotian... Do you know what you are doing?!" Wave shouts, currently in distress.

General...?! So this is the pompous bastard that we were meeting?! Then why is he attacking me! He's trying to crush my internal organs and bones into pieces!

"Of course, my boy! I stole your kill, but you had plenty to deal with..." Agotian chuckles whilst stroking his thick moustache, holding the Mace skyward to supposedly keep me contained.

"...Do... Do you know who I even am?!" I shout out, fighting against the hold of his Teigu at the same time, desperately trying to reason and wrestle at the same time.

"He's apar--" Wave frantically begins, getting cut off by the older man whom continues for him.

"He's apart of the Assassin organisation known as Night Raid, one of it's last remaining members..." General Agotian proclaims as Wave looks positively horrified, having removed Grand Chariot from his body.

"No, sir!" Wave tries.

"Your commander may have destroyed the rest, but I won't let her horde all of the glory in bringing their reign of terror to an close!" Agotian raises the Mace, as I continue being suspended in the air by the chains, the only reason that I'm not an stain on the floor is the fact I'm still wearing Incursio. Trying to remove it to show that I'm wearing an military uniform of the Empire would result in my untimely death.

Unable to hold back the pain, I scream out in absolute agony as the pressure of Incursio being pressed against my body becomes simply too much for me.

 ** _"AAAAAAAAAH... AAH!"_** Crying out at the top of my squeezed lungs, my hope is reignited. As the deathly cold chill is **_immediately_** felt by everyone, especially Agotian...

...Esdeath had heard my scream.

 _And she wasn't pleased._

The disllusioned General swiftly brought down the Mace upon the floor with an violent slam, Wave lunging quickly to stop him before getting knock some seven meters back for his trouble by the bulky man's hands.

"I won't tolerate such insubordination, not even from General Esdeath's own men!" He cried, clenching his fist tightly.

"She won't take this kill away from me, Night Raid will perish by my hand...!" The resentment towards Esdeath could be felt entirely in his words alone, finishing his motion as my chains were released, my body would be too exhausted to land on it's feet as I hit against the ground with an hard impact. Barely able to steady myself as I pant heavily trying to recover.

Out of Wave's distance, an giant cage-like dome composed of the same energy that restrained me before begins descending from above. Slowly beginning to block out any rays of the sun, as the light from the technique illuminates the entire arena.

There is no viable escape from this, if it closes. The fact I was unable to break free from the previous attempt on my life proved that, thus I desperately dash as fast as my body can carry me towards the fleeting sunshine, accelerating my movements to blinding speeds...

I'm almost there, reaching my hand forwards to my goal in hopes of being pulled out. I observe the sight of Esdeath's plain white boots hitting against the ground, as the way out closes infront of me.

I'm trapped... Caged like an animal with an monster even worse than the one I previously fought.

"...Do you see the futility of your actions, Assassin?" Agotian taunts from the center as he prepares for an battle I'm not sure I can win.

"If only I could see that look on your face, heh. The face that cowards give upon recognizing the loss of control...!" The General roars, starting with an skyward leap that I predict, jumping sideways as he flings the mace at my previous position with chain connected to it.

So, it's all about range. He looks tough, but it's obvious that he doesn't like close quarters combat. I'll need to draw on every single fiber of my connection with Incursio to endure this, I can only hope that Esdeath punishes him severely for putting me through this, and I haven't wished that on anyone.

Let's just say that he's pissed me off.

 _Greatly_.

"Well then, if it's an fight you want..." Adopting an cocky fighting stance to mask my exhausted state, I draw the fool's attention with an witty line.

"Then you'll get one, with Tatsumi of **_Night Raid...!"_** I roar as I unleash more power from Incursio's depths, unaware of the fact that Esdeath can hear everything that goes on inside the dome.

 **\- Wave - Time: 11:58 - Canyon Lake - Outskirts of the Capital.**

Uhhn... I really wasn't expecting that, General Agotian can really bring the pain and I can that he was holding back, hence why none of my ribs are broken--

Wait, what about...

"Tatsumi...!" I cry out, arising from the ground straight to my feet as my eyes suddenly glimpse the General looking absolutely livid as I shudder from the malicious aura that she is seething.

"Ge- General...!" I salute, very obviously shaking from nerves as she simply glares at me with an turn of her head, keeping her body facing the vibrating dome of light. From close inspection, she's shaking too yet extremely slightly.

"Explain the situation, Wave... Before I begin **_demanding_** answers." The commander announces with an stern voice that makes my leaning form stand straight once more.

"...Commander! General Agotian arrived, he saved us from an Danger Beast-- Then..." I stutter needing to violently force the words out from my mouth, I can hear sounds coming from the dome that distract my attention aswell, merely screams from Tatsumi and Agotian alike but no words at all.

"I advise that you hurry up, Wave..." In an blindingly fast motion, General Esdeath takes ahold of my throat with an turning of her heel as she raises my entire body impressively up as I dangle mere centimetres from the floor.

My eyes shake in terror at the crazed look hidden inside the General's blue eyes.

"...My patience with you is drawing thin by the _second_. Be quick about it." Realising that Tatsumi's life depends on my ability to answer quickly... I do just that.

"Agotian mistook Tatsumi for the Enemy-- An Assassin! Guk!" I shout in distress, choking violently as the General applies an harsh grip at the last second before effortlessly dropping me unto the rocky floor below.

Grasping my throat, relieved to have been released.

"Thank..." I barely speak for an few seconds before getting cut off.

"Save it, Wave. We must save Tatsumi before the spark of rebellion inside him is given more fuel to ignite." The General seems alot more calm, I hope Kurome is safe but she's always on top of the game.

Isn't like she's alone...

Ran is bound to her now.

The General is definitely planning for the next stage of the plan, as I await her orders. Grand Chariot at the ready.

Then, Agotian's booming voice echos to both our ears, signalling for the climax.

"...Huff... I admit, you are very skilled." The exhausted voice of Agotian proclaims behind the concealing wall of light and chains.

"You may have even been able to defeat the Jaeger that you were originally sent to kill..." Me and Tatsumi are usually evenly matched, but I can tell what the General is going on about when she speaks about the potential in him, it's terrifying.

"But I shall not fall...!" Agotian's voice and Tatsumi's silence imply that he's almost won, yet before I can even react... The General's venomous voice commands everything to...

 ** _Stop._**

 ** _"Mahapadma...!"_**

Although I couldn't witness nor perceive it as time itself obeyed her strict command and desire, General Esdeath walked straight through the barrier as if it hardly existed without any sign of strain or injury. She observed Agotian's posture above the fallen kneeling injuried Tatsumi, he was ready to end him...

Yet she brought an stop to that, with an simple violent sweep of her leg that landed at its chosen target, Agotian's knee, breaking countless bones in the joint without completely destroying the limb by bending it sideways with an sickeningly awful crunch.

Losing focus to the pain, the barrier vanished.

Soon, Time restored itself and the cries of the General weren't victorious ones.

But instead bitter cries of **_agony and pain._**

 ** _Horrible pain and agony._**

Tatsumi's armor had been fractured in many different places, mainly on the torso as he was kneeling down with his left arm strung across the chest for protection. Pieces of my friend's brown hair could be seen picking out from the broken helmet as blood ran straight down on his face.

Agotian whom was still screaming from having his knee bend out of shape wasn't looking pretty himself.

Kurome lands beside me, carrying her rucksack as she makes me leap in terror.

"...Did you miss me?" She comments, possibly meaning my reaction as I admit.

"Yeah... I did." Smiling at her.

Kurome doesn't respond, but she seems happy enough.

"...I _waited_ for you..." I overheard Tatsumi say weakly as General Esdeath sweeped him up into her arms, the very moment Incursio vanished from Tatsumi's body.

"Don't speak, Tatsumi. I'm here with you." The General say with affirmation, probably trying to seem as if she was always there near him.

Agotian's screaming became less noticeable as he adjusted to the sensations of pain.

"...You _promised_ that you'd have my back, Esdeath." The General's steady pace towards us halted, she looked as if she had seen death in the face and lived, absolutely stunned.

I had no clue that Esdeath had fallen short of her vow to protect Tatsumi, she was hit with the realization that letting Agotian off easy meant that she didn't care for him.

And cared for him, _she did._

 _More than anything else in the entire world and beyond._

Kurome and I went through the medical supplies in the gathered rucksacks, we heard our General freeze then shatter Agotian's already destroyed left knee into pieces, as his screams became more louder and more shocking again.

" _WHY?!"_ Agotian called out between the shrieks that constantly escaped from his bloodied mouth, missing some of his teeth.

"...HE IS THE ENEMY!" He aggressively called out, as he pointed directly at the Tatsumi laying unconscious in General Esdeath's arms, this only made her take the hand that pointed towards her lover and freeze it.

Repeating the same action as frozen pieces of Agotian's joined the pile of his knees on the floor.

"The enemy that you referred to is my _mate_ , my _lover_ and my **_possession_**." The General firmly stated, ensuring that he'd never forget it. The shaking mess of an man looked positively betrayed, as if she had abandoned the entire Empire to this boy.

Realising that he couldn't win, Agotian began to grovel and plead as the sun rose to announce that midday had arrived.

"..Please, Esdeath! Don't kill me, I taught you about the enjoy of the hunt!" Agotian argued, squirming about now that his left leg and right arm were missing.

"My father taught me that, you merely invoked my interests." General Esdeath coldly stated, turning around and walking backwards to us.

"Wai... Wait, you can't leave me here!" Agotian panicked, struggling alot more to stand up.

"It'll be night soon, I'll be devoured alive by Danger Beasts!" He continued with unmasked fear in his voice.

"How awfully ironic... Isn't it, I believe you enjoyed hunting before this day, didn't you?" She mockingly muses.

"And now... The Hunter becomes the _Hunted."_

 _"Nooooo..! General Esdeath, you can't! Have Mercy! Pleaseeee!"_ The once proud Imperial General was an hollow visage of his former proud self. Screaming his head off in rampant fear.

It goes without saying that I pity him. He wasn't at fault for this, it's me...

I was so struck by his sudden appearance, I didn't speak up to inform him of Tatsumi's allegiance.

"Wave, Kurome... We'll continue our journey and make camp at the north of this canyon, few miles away." Still carrying Tatsumi with an firm grip as she visibly squeezes him in her arms, Incursio resting on his belly.

"Yes, Ma'am!" I shout with an salute as Kurome beside me merely nods, handing out medical supplies that included, bandages and all sorts to the General as she looked on appreciatively with an nod.

"Thank you, Wave. I'll put these to good use." We begin heading to the camp as my senses begin locking up an entity similar to Incursio in the bushes, stopping as I barely make out two glowing blue eyes in the distance...

"Wave, it's either you keep walking with us... Or you can stay here to _die_ with the General." General Esdeath announced with an tone filled without any sympathy for the crippled man's plight.

The General still crying and sobbing for anyone, so I rush ahead and pay no mind to the eyes that I saw.

"The General can enjoy being torn into bloody pieces alone..." General Esdeath states, kissing Tatsumi's forehead as he slept.

I begrudgingly ignore him as we soon cannot hear him anymore, only faintly.

Kurome comforts my guilt ridden mind by squeezing my hand with hers.

 _I feel awful._

 **\- Makoto - Time: 18:00 - Canyon Lake - Outskirts of the Capital.**

"Who... Who are you?" He states weakly, laying on the ground with hopelessness woven into his eyes.

"Me? I'm your ticket back to the Capital... And you are my ticket **_inside."_** I announce, having waited patiently in the bushes of the forest that lied some distance from the canyon, it served as an entrance to it for some.

"Ooh... Thank you, masked young man! I shall reward you greatly!" He triumphantly proclaims, little does he know that I observed the grovelling display earlier in full detail from my invisibility.

Picking up the obviously relieved man up across my shoulder as I strain from the weight, thankful for the fact that he's alot lighter thanks to Mother's swift display.

I had front row seats, absolutely marvelous.

Unfortunately for me, and fortunately for this swine. His original death was here, being torn apart and found eaten alive by my father in the morning come.

But what's a game without abit of...

 _Fun?_

 **We're picking up the pace, looks like Tatsumi is going to become disillusioned with Esdeath as quickly as he became disillusioned with the Empire, yikes!**

 **Hope you enjoyed btw! Make sure to rate and review accordingly!**

 **Writing Wave's part was tremendously simple, provided he is Tatsumi's foil...!**

 **The next chapter should be next week, unless I get bored and work on it sooner.**

 **I'll be working on my other stories in the meantime, see ya!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Campsite Chit-Chat

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **\- Tatsumi - Time: 18:20 - Canyon Campsite - Outskirts of the Capital.**

Oddly enough, I knew that I was awake even before my eyes opened as my instincts detected Esdeath's presence amongst few of those that I couldn't recognize. Upon opening my eyes for real, I discovered that Esdeath had sent for some professional Doctors all the way from the Capital to the outskirts, specifically for me.

So I had been nursed and treated for my injuries, I'm now covered in bandages and alot of the bleeding has stopped. My internal injuries however remain present and will take time to heal. Surprisingly, Esdeath also called for an Teigu Specialist from the Capital. Apparently discovering some change in Incursio's behavior during my bout with Agotian, many hours ago. The true cause for the change in behavior was eventually discovered by the specialist, after several close physical examinations.

Incursio was **_fusing_** with my very body.

This news wasn't all bad, the relatively old man stated with an firm adjustment of his glasses that I'd be able to increase my overall progression and ability with the ancient weapon at the severe risk of losing my very humanity to the creature that was used in it's creation, if I were still fighting openly against the Empire itself then I'd be willing to go down that dangerous path in hopes that my small sacrifice might be able to turn the tide. So this news was obviously something that I needed to be cautious about.

Before departing with his Imperial escorts back to the Capital with the other trained medical personnel, the Teigu Specialist mentioned that with enough time and physical training with my body... It'd be possible to avoid becoming consumed by Incuriso, to avoid losing my humanity. As soon as Esdeath heard those words, she immediately vowed to increase my training regiment tenfold for...

As she put it, _my own good._

That wasn't all, I was still and still am, very bitter about having to fight with Agotian. The fight wasn't exactly fair in the slightest, I was already heavily wounded by the bastard's Teigu and then forced into an death match with him that I couldn't escape nor talk myself out of. I was so goddamn pissed that I momentarily relapsed into my old ways, proclaiming my hatred for the Empire in full.

Aside from Incursio's durability and enhancements, that was the only thing that kept me going through that fight. Plus, I had age and Esdeath's grueling training on my side. Of course, I was later told that Esdeath stopped the fight in it's tracks before my defeat came by Wave.

Trust me, I'm thankful that she stepped in... Because if she hadn't, I believe that if I had won then I wouldn't be able to stop myself from regressing back into the days that I fought the Empire on the open front. I doubt Esdeath would have appreciated that much, especially considering she heard everything that I said.

She wasn't particularly happy when she heard that I mentioned Night Raid as my allegiance inside the spiraling dome of light, I argued that I was merely playing to the old man's expectations as he had already fingered me for an member of the group anyway-

He was partly correct, I'll give him that.

When I asked what became of him, Esdeath told me exactly what she had done in full explicit detail... Even if I had wished many painful things on the man before and then during the fight, I choked on my guilt when I realized that Esdeath had given the man whom was an victim of his own ego and misunderstanding an horribly cruel end.

But there's nothing I can do for him, not that I want too. The only two people that I need to get into good graces with, is Esdeath and Budo. One is far more easier than the other in actuality. Budo wouldn't trust me with painting the walls of the Empire's corridors whilst supervised with thousand Imperial Guards, he's THAT suspicious of my motives. Again, I can't really blame him... I _am_ planning on bringing the Empire to it's knees yet I cannot act rashly.

Aah... I wish everything were back to the days when it was so simple, back in my home village. Just me, my friends and the cold snow below our feet. That's one of the first things I asked Esdeath for when I became apart of the Empire, to halt the heavy taxes of my home and refurbish it with protection and resources that will last them for many winters to come.

"Isn't this great, guys?" Wave makes conversation in the former deafening silence, resting near the recently constructed burning fireplace with myself and Kurome. All sitting on some sliced up logs made into benches. Esdeath has been away for a while, hunting our food for tonight as we didn't manage to acquire any due to my...

 _Run in with the deluded General._

"Yeah, I haven't sat around an campfire like this in sometime." I state with a bitter smile that Wave notices, Kurome however is staring intently into the campfire. It's eerily disturbing to observe those lifeless blank eyes of hers look so fixated at the swaying of the flames for some reason, suppose it can't be helped.

"Hey Tatsumi... I've got something that I want to get off my chest, if you'd hear me out." Wave speaks up as he glances in my direction with a facial expression that is resolute and firm in every way. Even before he's opened his mouth, I can already tell what's Wave is going to say but I still indulge him, it's pretty bad for our budding friendship if I cut him off.

"...Sure, go ahead." I nod respectfully back, placing my hands closer towards the warm campfire as the sky grows darker by the minute. The howling of wolves will surely be heard soon. Since we're quite some distance away from Agotian, I pray that I won't be kept awake during the night by the man's screams when the nocturnal Danger Beasts come out to play with his helpless self..

"About Agotian, I should have spoken up..." Wave admits with an guilt tone of voice, clearly upset with himself and his inaction in the day's earlier events. His head is lowered and his arms are resting weakly on his knees. As I suspected, it's about the General. Little does Wave know... Even if we managed to stop the conflict by addressing the question of my allegiance, Esdeath probably still would have punished Agotian for lashing out at me in the first place.

It was inevitable, really.

"Don't think anything of it, Wave." I truthfully reply despite the many bloodied bandages wrapped across my head, chest and arms at the moment. My entire body is still very sore from the bout, but my attention is elsewhere so the pain doesn't bother me really. I know that I'll be drugged up on painkillers and sedatives when Esdeath returns by the woman herself, so soon I won't be able to tell Wave from Kurome in time.

"What do you mean, Tatsumi?" He states, clearly confused at my lack of refusal or frustration. Probably expecting an negative response from me, but I don't give him one.

"In truth, I expected this from the start."

"I mean... You can erase my status as an fugitive in the eyes of the Empire, but not everyone is willing to agree with that." I continue.

"I guess that's true." Wave chuckles abit more confidently, stretching with an drowsy yawn. His posture becomes alot more lax, but I can tell that he's still troubled by something, which I assume is Agotian's grim fate.

That loud tired yawn being soon interrupted by the swift action of the triumphant returned Esdeath, tossing an fresh carcass of an reasonably large Danger Beast unto the ground near us with a greatly satisfied smirk as she waves at us all.

The creature's hair has all been shaved off it's body, exposing the battered bleeding mess of an corpse.

"I hope you all are hungry... Because I've brought dinner." Esdeath's current tone is playful and sickeningly sweet, but I can see the hidden sadism lying within' it. The creature's end probably wasn't pretty as hinted by the countless bloody gashes running down it's body. She probably tortured it for many minutes on end until finally ending it, that's why she took so long probably. Either that or she found Agotian and decided to play with him instead.

Acknowledging this, puts me off any thought of food. I feel sick to my stomach.

"You never cease to amaze, General...! We're all in your debt!" Wave announces with an excited tone, clearly hungry for some good cooked food and not Imperial Rations. Although I think he'd much rather be eating seafood at the moment.

"Food is good... I'll take some." Kurome adds with an empty voice, nodding and silently smiling at the giddy tone of Wave. She had been previously cleaning her blade with a cloth in the earlier moments prior to her commanding officer's anticipated arrival.

"I'll pass." I state firmly, waving my hand in refusal as Esdeath, Wave and even Kurome look shocked. Then Esdeath's expression begins shifting from massively prideful to acute confusion then straight into fiery frustration as she walks closer towards me with her hands fixed on those curvy hips of hers. I turn my body towards her direction, still sitting down, she leans down closer to me.

"You _will_ eat, Tatsumi." Stepping scarily closer towards me, Esdeath says with notable force in her chillingly cold voice.

"You haven't eaten since we've left the capital, it's been many hour since then." Esdeath mentions as an matter of fact, glaring straight at me with determined desire to see me consume food. It doesn't take me long to realize that if I don't submit, as she expects and craves, to her intentions then I won't be left alone at all until they are met. More and more, I am forced to acknowledge the sheer craziness that is General Esdeath. My lover and the one that stands at the peak of the entire Empire's power.

"...Fine, if you so insist." I give up as this removes alot of the hostility and annoyance in Esdeath's facial expressions yet, she remains alert and wary of me and my motives for refusing nourishment, probably thinking I'm planning on letting myself waste away out of paranoia. She's probably observed the effects of malnutrition and lack thereof, first hand and probably been the person responsible for it as an form of torture.

"Oh, I _**do**_ Tatsumi." Becoming alot more playful with me as hinted by her suddenly seductive voice, as Wave and Kurome keep themselves focused on each other for their own personal sakes, she sadistically forces me from my comfortable position on the sliced log to standing up by freezing the surface that I was sat upon. Taking delight in my loud uncontrolled shriek of absolute discomfort as the cold sensations attacked me, she finds even more delight in my annoyed expression that comes immediately after.

She's pure evil, no question!

"If you think I'm letting you starve yourself then you are sorrily mistaken." Esdeath's hand immediately takes ahold of an summoned bladed crystalline piece of ice that measures roughly about the same as an ordinary knife. It's obvious that she is going to begin cutting the carcass into pieces to roast on the campfire and she proceeds to do so, keeping her eyes on me whilst she does it. Clearly enjoying my gaze as I sigh with an scratch of my head bandages, moving down near her as I sit beside Esdeath.

"Let me help, I've done this before-" I ask timidly whilst watching my sadism fueled lover at her work, opening my left hand for an similar tool as the one Esdeath is currently using to carve the creature into thunks, already accomplishing much already to the degree that Wave has begun placing pieces of the animal's tendons unto the campfire with an happy grin. Kurome herself sticking some of the sliced pieces on her sword, casually placing it close but not exactly on the fire to roast them as she watches attentively.

"Isn't this romantic, Tatsumi...? We should do this together more often." Esdeath swoops from her position beside me, to directly behind me, pressing herself against my back as I shudder when my body reacts to her intimate presence. I try to move away by instinct yet she stops me in my tracks, placing her hands strongly unto my arms. Sliding the ice tool into my nearest hand, whispering silently into my ear to cut the carcass, telling me specifically how and where I should cut with precise detail.

With reluctance that I didn't display before, I eventually begin to obey Esdeath's commands as she _rewards_ me by kissing, nibbling and licking roughly against my sensitive ear. It's fairly obvious that Esdeath's hunger isn't the same hunger as the one that we all are currently experiencing at the time, she's hungry for...

 _...Me._

 _Poor ol' Tatsumi._

I knew deep down that this would happen, I know that Esdeath would never have forced herself unto me as she had absurdly plenty of chances to overpower me in the past so they'd be no reason why she'd do it now but now that I've given her what could only be described as an full taste of me, then it'd be only natural for her to develop an craving for it after the first time, it's fairly obvious that she's desperate as she hasn't taken into account that my recently injured body won't allow me to partake in the carnal activities that she, herself, is after.

Soon, I'm ordered to cease dishing the animal's remains into platter for cooking as I drop the evaporating tool now that Esdeath no longer deems it of use. We all eat together sat near the fire, exchanging stories and banter as me and Esdeath sit scarily close to each other by her own request. A five minutes pass, and we've all eaten as much as we can without hurting ourselves from overeating like idiots.

Right now at the moment, the sky is pitch black with only the bright stars in the sky illuminating the area along with our fading fireplace. The remainder of the cooked and otherwise unused food is personally destroyed by Esdeath as she had noted that leaving such delicious remains would lure other creatures to the campsite thus endangering us, or more accurately Kurome and Wave as I'm sharing an tent with Esdeath whom possesses incredible insight regardless of her current conscious state.

Sleep or not, she can always tell if I'm close to her- Unless there's circumstances that I can advantage of... Like bad dreams, heh.

"I expect you all awake and ready to depart for the Capital at Six in the morning..." Esdeath announces with a firm tone, giving one last nod towards Wave and Kurome as they stand on the doorstep of their tent. I'm resting near my own, as I feel pretty bad about the size comparison in our tents. Esdeath's tent is least three meters wider and longer in length alone. Which is hardly an surprise in reality.

"Fully understood and acknowledged, General. We'll be ready at your beckon!" Wave salutes with an confident smile, Kurome simply crawling inside the tent. While I believe Esdeath is fully aware of the budding romance between Kurome and Wave, I doubt she purposefully placed them together in the same tent for that reason. Infact, I think she'd punish them if she caught them openly engaging in romantic business during their duty hours, which is massively hypocritical when it comes down to it.

But now that we're all in our own tents, I couldn't really see Esdeath wanting to share a tent with Kurome so I could be with Wave.

Laying on my futon in the middle of the room filled with makeshift containers and accompanying hangers, I notice Esdeath has entered as she immediately begins unzipping her boots. Soon, tossing them aside to the corner of the room as the rest of her uniform finds itself in a neatly arranged pile. The tent is an military tent, so we can stand up straight at our full height without lending down.

"Tatsumi~ How can you sleep with so many layers, remove some for your own good." Esdeath, proudly standing infront of me without shame, only wearing an pair of jet black underwear and bra. Smiling widely as my attention is drawn to her- Blushing uncontrollably upon catching her in my gaze.

"Uhh... Uhm, I'll inste-" I stammer with an crimson face, sitting upwards as my hands keep me steady.

" _Now."_ With an husky voice filled with lust and wanton desire, Esdeath affirms what she wants as I gradually begin removing my respective items of clothing as the garments fall to the ground into a similarly organized pile. Soon I'm yet again sitting on the futon made for two, only wearing black briefs on my bandaged muscular body as Esdeath whom had been undressing me with her eyes for minutes on end began shaking visibly in anticipation.

"So, Tatsumi..." My partner says with an voice removed from reality yet maintains some resemblance of familiarity with her lengthy blue hair completely obscuring her face.

I hadn't completed my thought process for an response of my own by the time I got one from Esdeath, to my surprise.

"The night is still so very young... So why don't we _play_ around abit, mhm?" With an enticing voice that drew instinctual reaction in my loins, Esdeath's libido begins to completely overshadow my own as she draws closer and closer... Fully intending on claiming her rights to my body for the night, clearly desperate to experience the naked warmth that she had done merely days ago, I don't think I'll be ever truly able to satisfy her cravings when it came to this...

 _But I can try._

 **In comparison to Chapter Seven, there's not really much exciting going on in this chapter so see it as filler if you like.**

 **The real deal will transpire when they return to the capital, I assure you.**

 **So stay excited for that.**

 **Hope you enjoyed regardless, and make sure to leave me your thoughts on this chapter and what you think should happen in the future.**

 **For reference, I'll be including polls for chapters so you can do exactly that with guaranteed results.**

 **Until next time, see ya!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Problems and Solutions

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **Switching to an alternative writing style for faster story progression, let me know what you think.**

For General Esdeath of the Empire, her beloved Tatsumi's security had always been top priority above everything else. So when they both arrived back at the Imperial Palace in the Capital after their expedition to the outskirts, she had requested for additional medical treatments to be given to her partner despite the former's protests, completely unwilling to heed his words of refusal.

After that long winded scenario had ended, she refused to let him go. Reducing the little extra freedom that she had given him in the recent days, Wave could only look at Tatsumi with clear pity in his eyes as Kurome hardly cared. From henceforth, Tatsumi's official duties in the Jaegers merely consisted of painful training with Esdeath when she had time, writing reports of daily ongoings in the Empire and attending meetings with Esdeath as her subordinate.

Unofficially however was an different matter altogether as they included satisfying Esdeath's insatiable perverse lust for his body as best he could, always spending nights awake with her.

Only sleeping when she allowed.

When Tatsumi's days couldn't get anymore strange, to his shock, he discovered with the rest of the Jaegers that the seemingly deceased General Agotian had arisen from the dead, followed by an small masked attendant. In actuality survived the cruel punishment that Esdeath had given him by some random chance, yet it wasn't until Tatsumi noticed whom always accompanied the General closely that he figured out exactly _how_ the man marked for death had survived...

The masked boy was his own son, **_Esdeath's son._**

His appearance had been mostly unchanged from their first encounter with slight differences in his outfit, it resembled his own Jaeger outfit in many respects without being so blatant to be open for criticism.

Tatsumi made plans to confront him, filled with curiosity in his role in the General's survival and his reason for infiltrating the Capital... For revolution or service? As for Agotian himself, he now sported two cybernetics replacements that were fitted unto the arm and leg that were previously shattered into pieces' by Tatsumi's diabolical other half. Tatsumi couldn't help but notice that they resembled the cybernetics of Sheele's killer.

Unaware of the fact, they had been constructed by the same mad scientist.

For General Esdeath, Agotian's survival was an sure surprise as she had betted on the man's death. So she was quite annoyed that she had lost that specific bet, partly tempted to retify that until Tatsumi convinced her otherwise, telling her that he already learnt his lesson.

She agreed, when Agotian spoke to Tatsumi with renewed respect.

For now... She wouldn't torment Agotian anymore, unless warranted. Although apart of herself still wanted to destroy him and absorb those that belonged to the man into her own collection of belongings, mainly due to the boy that followed him...

His presence alone made every hair on her head stand tall, she wanted to fight the boy and test him as she did with anyone that she deemed especially powerful but this was different, she felt the same feelings as she did for Tatsumi about the boy...

Love.

But this was love that could only be felt by an mother.

Not the same love that she showered Tatsumi with, night after night.

Her instincts told her that something about this boy made him special, and General Esdeath always followed her instincts.

So, as with Tatsumi. She planned to confront the boy herself so it was an matter of...

 _Who'd find him first._

It was late and Tatsumi couldn't find the boy anywhere at all, he had roamed as much of the palace as he was allowed, always failing in his search. The fact that Incursio had been stripped away from him at the second that he arrived at the palace had been a bother. Somewhat convinced that next time, he should blatantly refuse to relinquish the Teigu that belonged to him from pure defiance, yet Esdeath always ensured him that he'd see it again.

"Just how hard is it to find someone in this massive place? It's downright impossible!" Tatsumi complained, walking through the large corridors as several guards and politicians passed by him. Looking at him with envy, hatred and suspicion yet they knew better than to act on those emotions.

Tatsumi met the stairs as he walked down them, he knew that Esdeath would be busy for the entire day and staying in the palace was hardly an appealing way to spend the rest of his day. Afterall, Wave and Kurome had been asked to assist the Imperial Guard with some routine checks in the Capital.

So that's where Tatsumi would spend his day.

At the Capital.

Surely Esdeath wouldn't mind, he had been begrudgingly given permission to visit the Capital on days that meant he would be undisposed for the majority. So Tatsumi began walking to the nearest exit, his white long coat flowing in the breeze behind him as he continued. Even more guards passed him, some tempted to ask exactly what he was doing without General Esdeath's presence but none did. It took several minutes to reach the streets, passing through many military checkpoints and inspections before hitting the first sign of civilization.

The streets were busy and filled with the same despair that had been plaguing the Capital since he first arrived, he vowed to stop it as he always had. Moving to the local tavern, wishing to ask about the rumors floating around the Empire. Leone had taught him well that if anyone knew what was going on in the Empire, it was the taverns and the people that resided in them.

Heading inside, Tatsumi immediately saw that it was practically deserted so he was amongst the only four people inside it. All middle aged men. He sat himself on one of the stools at the bar while pondering heavily on the location of his son.

He still felt odd calling him that... _His son._

He knew Agotian owned himself quite a estate at the south of the Capital, he was different from the rest of the General's in that he lived elsewhere in the Empire instead of the Palace. But this allowed Tatsumi more leeway than if he had resided in the Palace, as he could break into the man's estate, look for his son then leave with the guard's blaming the intrusion on either Night Raid or thieves.

It was perfect, aside one aspect that he wasn't aware of.

Dr. Stylish and Seryu Ubiquitous resided in the estate as honoured guests until they were ready to rejoin the Jaegers and reintroduce themselves to Esdeath.

Tatsumi's train of thought was interrupted by the sweet tone of an beautiful bar maid.

"So, what will it be... Handsome?" Tatsumi jolted upwards, previously leaning against his arm on the bar counter as he was sitting on the stool. The woman's tone sounded genuine and it was, Tatsumi respond with an nervous yet clear voice.

"Aha-- I'll have a glass of water." He nervously said, whilst being accustomed to alcohol by Leone's grace, he was strictly prohibited from it by Esdeath unless he drank in her presence. She usually drank wine at social gatherings, normally from boredom unless Tatsumi was there. The party that the Prime Minister had announced was scheduled in two days, and Esdeath had been invited along with the rest of the Jaegers. Not that he was planning on obeying her this time when alcohol was being served around, but he had came for rumors and getting tipsy wasn't going to serve anyone, especially himself.

Dropping the required currency on the countertop, the bar maid smiled as she shook her head.

"Tell you what, I like you so it's on the house." Tatsumi swept up the coins as the filled glass landed near him on the counter. The bar maid was obviously interested in him, unaware or not, that he had been already claimed by the most terrifying presence in the entire Empire. She was confident, however. As shown by the outfit displaying alot of her cleavage, most likely to attract customers.

"Hey you don't need too..." Tatsumi exclaimed.

"I insist, so what's your name?" The youthful woman asked, leaning against the counter closer as Tatsumi drank abit from the glass with an tired expression, having not gotten much rest from the previous night for obvious reasons.

"Tatsumi... Yours?" The barmaid looked rather happy with herself. Most likely due to the successful completion of the question that she had asked, and being asked herself.

"Joanna. Pleasure to meet you, Tatsumi." She gave him something of an nod, happily smiling at him as the rest of the customers came and left, this tavern also serving as an Inn for the weary.

"Likewise, Joanna. I could use more friends." Tatsumi chuckled, finishing his glass. Feeling better but slightly more sleepy. Light was fleeting outside, and more customers arrived. Joanna wasn't the only barmaid at the establishment, so she could afford serving and talking with Tatsumi as the others minded the other customers.

"Well, now you've got me. So what's your business here, Tatsumi?" She asked, wiping a cloth against the bar as she kept her gaze on his green orbs. She liked how they looked.

"Rumors, really. I heard that if I needed news on the ongoings, this was the place." Refilling his empty glass, Joanna nodded in agreement. Slightly smiling at him as Tatsumi grew more drowsy. He knew there wasn't anything in the glass, it was just plain water but himself... It was his own lack of rest that was affecting his ability to focus and concentrate.

"Not only cute but sharp too, Tatsumi." She giggled, looking pleased. Tatsumi kept himself steady as he sipped from the glass, paying close attention.

"There's nothing particular going on in the Empire aside from the usual, but if you are really looking for excitement then there's the case of the serial killer in the streets at night" Joanna explained, clearly concerned hinted by her tone.

 _Another serial killer in the streets?_ Tatsumi thought to himself as he cletched abit on the glass, being careful with it to avoid breaking it.

"I'll look into it, we can't have scum like that roaming the streets." Tatsumi responded with a determined tone as Joanna looked concerned, it was already late and Tatsumi appeared positively exhausted. Despite only just meeting him, she felt responsible for the boy's wellbeing. Perhaps as an result of Tatsumi's ability to invoke the best of people, even cold hearted murderous beings like Esdeath.

"I'm sure you will, but not like that." Joanna said, leaving from behind the counter and to the side of Tatsumi even before he could track her movements, his weak state being responsible for that.

"What do you mean, huh?" The slurring of his speech convinced Joanna even more that Tatsumi wasn't currently at the greatest advantage, deciding to let him stay in the tavern over night, free of charge. This was easy to arrange as the bar was owned by her older sister therefore, she partly owned it too.

Tatsumi stood up from the stool, scratching his head as his stance was loose and weary. He knew that he was tired, and if anything wanted to rest at the tavern but Esdeath had specifically made it aware that she wanted to cuddle with him tonight and leaving her alone overnight was an sure fire way to invoke the worst of her rage at him. He knew that from before. So Tatsumi felt alot of fear in the thought of that.

"I mean that I can't let you leave this bar." Joanna explained abit more, taking him by the hand as she led him upstairs. Tatsumi being tugged along by the taller woman and lacking in the strength of will to fight back. Regardless of his protests, she continued to walk until she reached the upstairs. She led him into one of the funished rooms, placing a key for the door into his pocket and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead before shoving him into the comfortable single bed.

It wasn't the luxurious double bed that he shared with Esdeath, but Tatsumi fell asleep practically as soon as he hit against the bed.

Elsewhere, many hours later. Esdeath frantically paced across her large bedroom with annoyance in her movements, Tatsumi hadn't been waiting for her nor left any note telling her where she could find him. She had questioned Wave and Kurome about him, yet they couldn't provide any assistance as they too hadn't seen him all day. Some guards mentioned seeing him leave the palace before losing sight of him.

The time of Tatsumi's curfew had ended hours ago and Esdeath's patience with him had worn thin, deciding that she wouldn't locate her mate by merely sitting around, she made movements to leave the Palace...

...But then she got rather devious idea, instead of finding Tatsumi in the capital, she would discover what her instincts were telling her about that child attendant. She knew that wherever Tatsumi was, that he'd be safe until she could find him. The fact that she hadn't already been alerted to his location by her instincts had made that clear. So, just this once. She would leave him be, but make no mistake.

This didn't do anything to lessen her frustration with the green eyed youth.

She would instead take it out on Agotian, heading to visit the General's estate. Soon soaring through the night skies on her aerial Danger Beast, unaware of the familar company that Agotian had surrounded himself with.

"Ah, Makoto! My boy... How has the Capital found you?" Currently sitting inside a room that could only be called an study Agotian called out to the youth that entered. Makoto stood in the center of the dimly lit room, his arms folded across his chest and his face hidden by a ominous mask as it always been whilst in Agotian's service. In truth, Makoto didn't act as an servant for the General.

The General knew that treating the person responsible for his survival wouldn't end well, so they were partners in an way. Much like General Esdeath and the Prime Minister.

Dr. Stylish had fixed and provided Agotian with the cybernetics that allowed him to regain some semblance of normancy. Dr. Stylish himself residing some rooms away with Seryu.

"The Capital serves its purpose to the Empire." Makoto said emptily as Agotian only chuckled in response.

"And here I thought you were an Assassin wanting a easy way to the Imperial Leadership." Agotian replied once his laughing ceased.

"I only intend on serving the Empire, but I have my own goals." Those goals, Makoto never disclosed as they had been the assassination of the man whom lived in the same mansion as himself. Sure, he knew that Dr. Stylish wasn't a fighter and would easily fall to the combined might of Incursio and the Demon's extract... But Makoto didn't wish to kill Stylish whilst Seryu was near him, she was an false creature that hid sadism behind a smile.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me, one day?" Agotian asked, stroking his moustache as he leaned closer against the comfortable chair.

"One day... You have my word." Makoto truthfully replied, taking a seat on the closest chair. Incursio would be wrapped in bandages as he laid the hidden Teigu by the armrest.

"My General, I have news...! Urgent news!" A messager frantically burst through the door as Agotian leap up in surprise, violently smashing apart a coffee table with his cybernetic arm from the shock, making the courier shriek from fear.

Makoto had been eerily silent even when the courier came through the door. Not even moving to the loud noise that came from either party. He instead tilted his head across to the courier with an amused expression of interest on his pale face.

"Aaah... I hate it when I do that, hmm." Agotian observed the wooden pieces that littered the floor by his side, ignoring the courier for the moment.

"Sir-- It's urgent!" The shaking courier cried, and Makoto answered.

"Relay your message, courier." He asked politely. To which the courier confused on the level of Makoto's authority, answered.

"General Esdeath has arrived, she wishes to speak with you! She's waiting in the main hall...!"

Agotian's heart skipped twenty beats, he gasped with an amazing force. Makoto, for the first time, openly expressed shock. Thankfully it was hidden by his mask.

"Inform Dr. Stylish, we cannot hide him any longer! Makoto, accompany me...!" Barking orders, trying to mask the very apparent sensation of fear that coursed through him, Agotian marched through the door. Shoving the courier away as Makoto followed, himself slightly nervous to meet his mother despite sharing previous glances with her and his father.

Soon, they'd meet.

And Makoto was nervous as Agotian was.

Oh, so much.

 **I hope the transition from first person to third wasn't too weird, but I believe we've experienced the minds of enough characters to have gathered enough understanding of how they think and you all have surely read and watched AGK.**

 **Let me know what you think, writing in this style should allow for quicker chapters as I don't need to worry about characteristics and whatnot.**

 **Stay tuned, next chapter is what you've all been waiting for!**

 **Mother meets the son!**


	10. Chapter 10 - The Ice Monarchy

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

The air was cold, chilly and bitter... Everyone, man and woman, in the building aside two people felt it. Yet they were still inside the reasonably warm mansion. Agotian, Makoto, Dr. Stylish and lastly Seryu Ubiquitous were all walking briskly to the main hall, in which Esdeath patiently awaited them.

Neither of them spoke any words, for their own reasons.

Dr. Stylish wanted to prepare a excellent sounding proposal for his services to the General, wishing to reacquire her vouch in the military while staying connected to General Agotian aswell.

Seryu Ubiquitous stayed quite quiet because if she spoke for even a second, then she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying out in happiness and joy at being reunited with her beloved commander.

General Agotian remained deathly silent, due to the everpresent tingling sensation that attacked his cybernetics, his brain still remembered the once present limbs being connected to his aged body. The phantom pain only increased tenfold around Esdeath, whom cruelly robbed his body of completion in the first place for assaulting her property. Any semblance of hatred for the sadistic woman drowned out by frantic all-consuming _fear_.

Makoto, the Ice Prince and Heir to Incursio, was a mixture of excitement and acute nervousness perfectly co-existing at the same time. Afterall, he planned on revealing himself as he had to his father to the one, he admired the most.

His Mother.

The unstoppable Ice Queen.

Thing is, in the distant future or Makoto's present. General Esdeath had been awfully cold to him despite having a ideal relationship with her as family, always focusing on training him up and rarely showing any affection aside from meaningful compliments, well deserved couragement. Always reminding him, day after day, that attachment would cause grief and only becoming stronger than everyone else would prevent that. Sitting on the throne created from ice in her imposing castle, beside another meant for his deceased Dad.

The Dad that never got the chance to see him grow up.

Makoto however knew exactly why she had been that way. Esdeath never stated herself nor admitted it, but she was incomplete without Tatsumi. Experiencing horrible agonizing guilt, even with her morals and conducts demanding that she move on, about being unable to save him from sacrificing himself for individuals, she deemed worthless.

This... This was the reason Makoto had came to the past.

He knew it as soon as he saw them together.

They were happy in a messed up sort of way.

And that's all he needed.

They soon all came to the large main hall, as General Esdeath was seen by the four currently practicing her reign of dominance by forcing a cowering male attendant to lick her white long boots clean, smiling demeaningly at the middle aged man with obvious satisfaction as he worked. She was still so very stressed from the entire situation with Tatsumi, so she needed to express her dominance to release some steam.

Only kicking him away without a care across the room into the nearest wall when she noticed the party arriving. The man leaving quite the sizable dent in the wall as the other attendants dragged him away from the scene, he had least two bones broken from the impact alone.

Looking clearly shocked yet hardly fazed at the same time by Dr. Stylish and Seryu Ubiquitous' appearance.

"Back from the dead, I see." Esdeath remarked with surprise, placing a relaxed hand against her hips as she looked them both over. She looked radiant with beauty in the well lit room, demanding the full attention, enduring devotion and utmost respect of everyone in the room without saying but a solitary single word.

It was then the unthinkable happened, Seryu darted straight towards Esdeath with blinding speed and acceleration from across the room. Only Makoto and General Esdeath herself able to track her movements, Agotian having notable difficulty as he gasped loudly in fear for the girl's life.

Agotian knew that only one person alive could touch Esdeath's body and still remain breathing afterwards...

...And sane too, for that matter.

"Commander...! I missed you!" The happy younger woman cried out, embracing Esdeath with her arms tightly around her chest without any fear nor restraint as rest, minus Dr. Stylish looked on confused.

"You were a asset that I deeply regretted losing aswell, Seryu Ubiquitous." Esdeath replied with the same aloof empty tone, gently patting her subordinate on the head with an barely noticeable smile.

"Well, isn't that just magical~! How very touching!" Dr. Stylish joined in, adjusting his white lunar shaped mask as he prepared to continue his eccentric words.

"But this fated reunion alone couldn't have been possible without my scientific prowess, Commander!" Posing with the grace of the mad scientist that he was, Dr. Stylish joyfully parading around while Makoto became confused on exactly how this flamboyant idiot had been responsible for the relentless devastation that came unto his future.

Half tempted to simply butcher the man in cold blood, at this very moment. Saving alot of trouble later for himself and the rest of mankind.

No one would miss him for sure, aside maybe Ubiquitous.

Thankfully Makoto was very much aware that behind Dr. Stylish's glamor and joviality were the makings of a monster perhaps even worse than Esdeath herself.

"So I assume you cloned yourself then, you are both currently listed as deceased in the Empire's records." Esdeath stated with an official tone. Seeing past any other possible explanation that could be used for their return, anything else seemed and was deemed unlikely.

"Yes, we've been revived to rejoin you!" Seryu proclaimed in hardly concealed excitement, Stylish nodding in agreement with obvious pride in his expression. Taking full credit for their return. With this, Seryu reluctantly released her hold on General Esdeath's waist. She had figured that too much intimacy between them would ruin their professional working relationship, regardless of the girl's desires for something more. Completely unaware that General Esdeath had successfully charmed the man of her dreams to her side already.

Seryu stood attentively near the Ice Queen, ready and waiting patiently.

"...Ahaha, that's right. I have kept them comfortable in the time arriving at this moment, General Esdeath." The shaking mess of Agotian finally spoke up for the first time, Makoto standing directly beside him with his arms folded tightly. General Esdeath only looked at him, half tempted to punish him for keeping them both away from her in secret or instead rewarding him by not punishing him at all.

She decided to let him go, for now. He'd slip up sooner than later anyway.

"Very well, you may rejoin my Jaegers... Once you've both been briefed on the recent events accordingly." Esdeath announced, sending abit of her hair back with a delicate stroke of the hand. Clearly tremendously pleased with the new developments, despite also being still curious and watchful with the two.

"We'll depart for the Palace then, General Esdeath..."

"...Come along with me, Ubiquitous! We have loads work to do, lives to ruin and shmucks to kill~!" Marching forward past Esdeath with glee to the exit, Dr. Stylish had been unaware of the strong hand reaching for the back of his coat as it tugged aggressively on it, preventing escape.

"I didn't say leave, did I...?" Esdeath spoke with an foreboding tone, smiling eerily at Stylish she held him firm, he showed no resistance.

"Aah, I'm terribly--" Stylish uttered loudly, Seryu staying absolutely still in her place, General Agotian and Makoto repeatedly exchanged nervous glances with each other when their surroundings grew colder than before.

"Ubiquitous, you are excused." Esdeath noted with a hard nod, letting her leave as she happily left Stylish behind to his fate upon exiting through the large double doors.

Betraying the person solely responsible for delivering the gift of life back to the her in favor of General Esdeath, if anything else that spoke volumes of the Ice Queen's influence alone. Makoto observed this all with interest.

"You... However good Doctor are not, you see..." The sadism driven General's scarily narrowed eyes became two spiralling ferocious depths that threatened to consume Stylish whole without any mercy at all, forcing him into quivering quite visibly.

Making him submit to her authority without hesitation, hesitation meant certain death.

"You had gone against my orders, and paid the price... Like the dimwitted fool you were and are. That I can tell." These words made Stylish less confident in his plan and slightly annoyed with her insulting phases, he resorted to frantic desperate pleads of reasoning as Agotian looked on with clear pity. Makoto himself was metaphorically on the edge of his seat, desperately hoping that Dr. Stylish's annoyance would end here in it's tracks.

"Ge-- General Esdeath! ...I wanted to present Night Raid to you on a silver platter! It was the failing of my previous incarnation, not mine!" Blaming the failing on the original Dr. Stylish seemed to have done the trick, Esdeath soon released him...

But not before painfully marking the unscarred portion of his cheek with her index fingertip, using her nails to complete the act, dragging them across the surface of his skin as blood began seeping from the fresh open wound. Dripping heavily from the man's cheek, Esdeath flicking the rest of the blood residing on her fingers directly at Stylish's face, coating him and his formerly white mask in crimson. Stylish wasn't getting away easily at any rate, he would learn what it meant exactly to betray her expectations and orders.

"Kneel." She demanded, this wasn't a question and Stylish knew that. Makoto and Agotian remained fixed at their positions several steps away from the pair as they held breaths, both having seen this plenty times in the past respectively.

Usually ending in the same result, submission or death... In this case, submission as Stylish instantly dropped to his knees. The man's lab coat blowing in the breeze that came through the open door directly behind Esdeath's towering presence.

Dying at the hands of Night Raid had turned Dr. Stylish into a creature of vengeance, he had discarded any petty feelings of embarrassment when his plan was made.

Several minutes passed, General Esdeath had spent those minutes simply staring at the kneeling scientist before lifting him upwards into his feet, letting him go from her hard grip seconds later.

"Very well, I hope you've learnt that lesson. Rejoin the others, Stylish." Esdeath stated emptily. Observing Perfector on Stylish's hands as he left without a word aside from the expected nod of acknowledgement.

Soon, only Makoto, General Agotian and the Ice Queen were present and Agotian looked ready to run straight for the hills and call it an night.

Thankfully for the military General, he got exactly what he had been hoping for.

"Agotian, I'll be using a study of yours for my own business..." Looking straight at him, Esdeath absentmindedly stated as her eyes wandered to Makoto whom glanced back.

"Aha, of course! Use it as much as you like, do you have any use for me?" Agotian asked, hoping to be let go.

"No, you've served your purpose." Agotian had been curious to know how Esdeath had learnt that Stylish and Ubiquitous were residing in his estate, especially considering they had only arrived mere days ago accompanied by the genetically modified Danger Beasts. He suspected Makoto for a spy before dismissing the idea entirely since the boy had plenty chances to strike. Blaming wanton paranoia, unaware that Makoto was the General's primary target and reason for visiting in the first place.

"Well then, let's retreat for some late night tea... Hm, Makoto?" Turning on his heel, Agotian placed his arm around the small boy's shoulder with an immensely relieved smile as they both walked away. Makoto had decided to not reveal himself afterall, preferring to observe Dr. Stylish from a distance before making his move... Plus, he still needed to speak with Tatsumi, his father.

Then Esdeath's authorative voice made itself known, stopping them both swiftly.

"From henceforth, General Agotian. Your cute little attendant belongs solely to me. You have no choice in this, but to hand him over." Agotian's fear peaked, his heart rate increased and his grip on Makoto's shoulder became alot more firm to the point he leap sideways away.

"Ge-- General Esdeath, for what reason would you ask this?" Agotian asked, partly pleading in his words.

"You misunderstand, I'm not asking anything of you..." Esdeath remarked with an sickeningly sweet tone, with an even sweeter expression.

"Oh, thank the Emperor." Agotian breathed out in gratitude, mistakenly misplaced gratitude.

Her formerly kind expression turned ominous, grim and downright predatory.

"To clarify I'm demanding this, not asking for it." This was the last straw for Agotian's frame of mind, his stress hitting peak as his large body soon collapsed messily face first on the floor unconscious from a viotile mixture of sleep deprivation, post traumatic stress and anxiety due to prolonged exposure to General Esdeath.

It was sure surprise that he hadn't collapsed sooner.

Makoto hardly gave the fallen General a look, something which Esdeath noted herself.

"Not very loyal, are you." She mused, observing Agotian with an cheeky sway of her hips as she walked closer to the small child.

"I'm only loyal to those that deserve my dedication, you taught me that yourself..." Makoto walked closer to his Mother without the fear that previously coursed through him, soon standing about a meter away as they were the only people in the main hall, everyone fled and Agotian was very much out of commission. The air grew tense as Esdeath glared intently at the boy. Trying to figure exactly what her instincts were telling her at the moment.

"Identify yourself-- At once." With a flex of her wrist, she took firm grip of the ice blade that appeared in her hand. Standing sideways as he gestured it exactly at Makoto whom merely stood still in place.

Then, he had a rather good idea. His stance immediately copied Esdeath's own, making his own crystalline weapon appear in his grasp as the exact moment in which Esdeath's enchanced perception percieved that...

She shakily dropped the summoned weapon straight to the floor with a notably loud sound. Her mouth wide with surprise, Makoto releasing his own weapon to take ahold of the mask that concealed every feature on his head, pulling it from himself as that too fell unto the polished floor.

For a moment, Esdeath thought Stylish had stolen some of her DNA and then created a clone of herself with the opposite sex. But this was impossible, Esdeath's senses didn't lie nor decieve and cloning such tremendous power was unthinkable. She immediately caught on to the identity of Stylish and Ubiquitous as the presence they gave off felt unnatural and wrong to her. Makoto's eyes were hidden by the thick visor that had connected itself to the mask, Esdeath drew closer until they were mere inchs apart.

It was alot to take in... The child's pale white skin tone, beauitful blue hair colour and muscular build were as if she had been responsible for the child herself. Unaware of the fact, she was. Still, General Esdeath had no ambitions to become a mother whilst the Empire still had enemies to fight and destroy. Sure, she often engaged in sexual intercourse with her darling Tatsumi during the late night hours but she always ensured that none of her other half's seed ever furfilled it's purpose. But that didn't mean they'd be a time that she wouldn't want a child, she greatly desired to produce children with Tatsumi. Still, the child was no less than ten and she herself was dwelling in her early twenties and Tatsumi had just reached eighteen years.

It didn't make sense, the conclusion that her feelings screamed to her. That this boy was her rightful heir and son.

But who was the father? That part scared General Esdeath of the Empire, the most. If it wasn't Tatsumi, then she could hardly bring herself to look at him. In his features, she only saw herself and no one else.

The many questions she had continued to grow.

"This... Doesn't make any remotely logical sense, who are you?! Tell me now...!" Esdeath angrily demanded, slowly losing her composure, partly convinced someone was messing with her by presenting the dream of a lifetime to her in some awful joke.

She desperately needed for Tatsumi to be the father. He was the only man she desired in the entire world.

"I'm your son... From the future, many years from now. I came back to help you." To increase his truthful claims legitimacy, he tore apart of the undershirt down from the collar as the same symbol of the Ice Demon in which Esdeath had was seen, now she knew he wasn't lying in anything that he said.

He was _hers_.

"That explains alot, now you'll reveal the identity of your father... Don't keep _Mommy_ waiting for too long, darling." How much this meant to Esdeath was shown in the sinister turn her last few words took. Sure, she had accepted the truth and acknowledged herself as his mother but that didn't mean she was completely accepting of him. If he wasn't Tatsumi's son, then she would either kill him or abandon him entirely. A world in which Tatsumi and herself weren't together didn't deserve to exist.

Makoto didn't answer immediately.

Esdeath raised a hand in frustration, in which Makoto replied by removing the visor from his mask. Revealing two emerald orbs in the form of eyes, Tatsumi's eyes. She halted, instantly. Soon Esdeath wasn't only looking at herself in the boy...

She was looking at the result of her and Tatsumi's love. This boy suddenly became so very beautiful to her as she didn't wait to embrace him, lifting him straight up into her arms. In height, Makoto came to her waist so without Incursio, he was tiny. Aggressively cuddling him with the visage of blissful happiness as she was on the verge of tears, soon tears came heavily. Makoto had been quite surprised, he hadn't received such affection before from Esdeath yet embraced his mother back with a geninuely happy smile.

"You are perfect, I can't imagine how happy I must've been carrying you inside me... You look just like your fool of an father." Esdeath cooed as she bounced with joy out of the mansion, Makoto being far too embarrassed to even speak. In truth, Makoto's hairstyle resembled Tatsumi and his shared the same cute roundness. Esdeath had already made plans to introduce Makoto to the Empire, but she needed to be careful and serious about this. Makoto was still very young thus susceptible to manipulation, especially by the Prime Minister.

However.

This was the beginning of something very beautiful for the two of them, and very terrifying for the capital.

All that was needed now was to find Tatsumi, then they'd be a complete family together. A unstoppable force.

 **Well, here's hoping Tatsumi had pleasant dreams in the tavern because he's about to wake up to one hell of an nightmare!**

 **Nah, I'm messing with you. XD**

 **Anyway here's where technically the fic starts! So may the fun begin!**

 **Hope you enjoyed and stick around for the next part, I'll still be making changes to this one until then so review accordingly!**

 **Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Null and Void

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

The beauitful late morning sun shone brightly on the Imperial Capital, illuminating the packed streets filled with travellers, Imperial Guards and the usual market traders that welcomed potential customers with warm smiles.

From the poverty stricken streets, the Imperial Palace looked like something of an inspiring beacon to the lesser folk and a ominious deterrent to the supporters of the diminished Revolutionary Army.

Residing in the Palace, General Esdeath sat in her study located in the quarters, she shared with Tatsumi whom still hadn't made a appearance. This fact had lessened Esdeath's frustration and made way for frantic concern, she had informed those of her legions to be wary of him and to report any sightings immediately at once. She was currently busy signing adoption papers, unable to proceed without Tatsumi's own signature.

The reason for this was a cleverly thought out plan, Esdeath herself had made, even if creating the strategy in the first place caused painful knots to appear in her stomach.

Even if Makoto had arrived to the past via time travel in reality using one of the many lost Teigu, Chronos Key. General Esdeath was particularly well aware that not every sane individual would be willing to believe that immediately and the records on the Teigu were scarce, many publications of the ancient weapons omitting it entirely as fiction.

For if it were real, why hadn't the first Emperor used it unless some drawback prevented him from doing so.

For what use is a time machine, if it can only go one direction.

Thus, to be able to fulfill her obligation and role as an parent, she needed to legally adopt Makoto in the eyes of the Empire. That would also guarantee his security and protection, as an added bonus... She could refer to him as her dearest son without so many eyes looking on with them confusion, not that she cared... Mind you.

Still, a large majority of General Esdeath's being loathed this entire charade outright. So once conclusive evidence of the Teigu's existence came into light, she'd be the first to happily reveal the truth of the boy's blood covered heritage to the terrified masses.

But for now...

Makoto was an simple forunate survivor of the Northern Tribes civilization, whom Esdeath took interest in. The same people, Esdeath had mercilessly massacred and buried into the cold unfeeling snow beneath her feet, this was the cover story for manipulative people like the Prime Minister.

Shortly upon their arrival at the palace in the previous night, Makoto swiftly disclosed the reasons for his appearance in the past, absolutely everything that wasn't already obivous to the General, aside from Stylish's involvement to the future's ruin and the distantly cold behaviour of her future counterpart. She recalled being hit very heavily with shock, annoyance and great sadness when news of Tatsumi's death in the distant future hit her. Mainly because of the scarily realistic nightmare she previously had that kept haunting her thoughts, many days later.

She mentally vowed to ensure Tatsumi's survival, so he could surpass the limits imposed by the world around them and become her destined equal.

Makoto was living evidence that Tatsumi's powerful potential could be passed on to the next generation. It made Esdeath shiver in delight.

A entire family composed of powerful warriors, it was bliss to Esdeath's senses. She couldn't stop fantasizing about it.

The Ice Queen also drew notable happiness and delight at the revelation, Tatsumi asked her to wed him in the weeks leading up to Makoto's birth.

The unused spare room in Esdeath's quarters had been refitted into Makoto's bedroom, decorated beautifully with tables, comfortable chairs with an luxurious single bed. Complete with everything that somebody ten years old would ever want. In Tatsumi's absence, Esdeath took to spoiling Makoto rotten by making shopping lists and sending couriers to obtain the items as she had gathered living in the harsh conditions of the described future hadn't provided her beloved child with much, if not, any happiness whatsoever.

So seeing the happy childish look on his smiling face when showered with presents from the Imperial Capital provided alot of warmth in Esdeath's _supposedly_ cold heart. However Esdeath was very well aware of the drawbacks of spoiling somebody too excessively in which they might become complacent and sluggish, but regardless of this fact, she also knew that both Tatsumi and his son weren't beings that solely survived by using others, they were like herself.

Warriors that thrived on battle, even if Tatsumi alone denied it.

Due to Makoto's young age, she couldn't officially induct him into her Jaeger's as she had with Tatsumi but she wasn't all fussed by this. She preferred to keep those closest to her heart nearer to the safest possible location...

Right beside herself ironically.

Makoto was currently exploring the Palace with two Imperial Escorts, his Incursio safely residing in his dwellings, being given free reign and authorization to do as he liked from his mother. His induction into the Imperial records had been completed hours ago, along with medical examinations and psychological tests. Passing them all without fail.

The rest of the Jaegers minus Dr. Stylish whom currently substituted for Esdeath in the torture chambers, since she couldn't find the time to interrogate any captive members of the Revolutionary Army despite having the motivation and sadistic desire for such gruesome affairs, were posted across the Capital on the hunt for Tatsumi and for information on his possible whereabouts. It was broad daylight, so seeking for Night Raid was pointless as by the name indicated, they operated at dusk.

Esdeath sighed heavily into her palm, becoming increasingly more agitated with Tatsumi's lack of presence. Such disobedience could not be tolerated, she had slept in the large bed with Makoto since Tatsumi hadn't returned and only managed to sleep because of her son's comforting eyes, she was planning on taking Makoto to bed anyway as her newly acquired motherly instincts refused to let him sleep elsewhere until she was assured he'd be safe. Esdeath bitterly reflected on the jarring fact, she felt incomplete without Tatsumi. Now that he had submitted to her dream, his escape didn't increase her motivation to find him as it once did but caused acute crippling loneliness in her instead.

Then it struck Esdeath...

Hard, firm and maddeningly unrelenting.

If she felt this awful without Tatsumi's presence now that she had Makoto, whatever transpired with her other older self...?

The Esdeath of the future, whom married Tatsumi and bore his son... Only to lose him?

At that very moment, something inside Esdeath snapped and broke apart. The room grew violently more colder than before, causing passersby to shriek from the exposure. Refusing to remain waiting idly by anymore, General Esdeath leapt through the nearest viable window in the corridor after escaping from the confines of her quarters. Attaching pieces of summoned ice unto her ankles and wrists to soar unaided through the sky towards the capital, if she searched and observed long enough, she'd find him.

 _She'd locate him, and he'd never leave her again._

General Esdeath was willing to tear the entire capital apart from the foundations in her search to find her missing Tatsumi, she had many different types of things she wanted to do with him. Specifically bad awful things now that he had invoked alot of her pent up rage. Partly thankful, she had specified sound proofing the walls to the builders of Makoto's room so that he'd remain blissfully unaware of the eroticism happening in his parents room.

Esdeath wasn't entirely malicious, she also desired innocent situations like picking out something suitable for the upcoming ball arranged by the Prime Minister on the Child Emperor's behalf.

She had a perfect idea of what Makoto would wear.

The sleeping Tatsumi suddenly awoke with, what you could call, sudden surprise. He was still very much dressed, not nude and his clothed chest didn't have slender possessive arms firmly pulling him backwards into soft squishy large mounds. He also noticed within the next second, that his bed was notably less large and didn't smell distinctively like freshly cut flowers or...

 ** _ESDEATH!_**

Tatsumi mentally screamed as he stumbled across the bed, falling over it and straight to the creaky floor as the door knob of the room clicked and turned.

Tatsumi stayed put, holding his breath as he watched the wooden door swing open. It was Joanna, looking awfully surprised at the state, Tatsumi had found himself in.

"Rise and shine, darling~! Whatever is up with you, floor more comfortable than the bed...?" Joanna said with clear amusement. Kneeling down, and patting affectionately on the back.

"Very funny... Listen, I really appreciate your help but I've gotta get back to the Palace. I'll pay--" Tatsumi lifted himself to his feet, dusting himself off.

"No need, you can repay me by visiting again, Tatsumi. Telling me more about yourself should serve as my repayment." As much as Tatsumi didn't want to include Joanna as apart of his life, he begrudgingly accepted her place in the end. The reason being was the person whom waited at the Palace for him, Esdeath wasn't an overtly jealous creature but Joanna clearly had been smitted by Tatsumi and he correctly assumed Esdeath wouldn't have any qualms about torturing the poor girl to death, as she had plenty of others for remarkably lesser crimes.

Tatsumi nodded, swiftly dashing straight from the door after placing the keys to the room in Joanna's hand. His destination wasn't that far away and Tatsumi prayed Esdeath was willing to listen before she applied any of her own brand of punishments for disobedience on him. With the right words, he'd win her over and escape from a particularly nasty situation.

Soaring through the sky above the Capital, Esdeath's keen senses caught wind of Tatsumi's general location in the mass of people. Immediately descending down in an nose dive towards the origin as she grinned dangerously.

 _She had found him._

The busy afternoon crowds were impassable, and time really wasn't on Tatsumi's side, it was currently rush hour for the markets. Which meant everyone from young couples to the elderly were present. So, Tatsumi did the only thing available for him to do. He quickly leapt up from the main street road and swiftly landed unto the nearest house rooftop, sighing in relief as plenty curious eyes began observing him from his previous position on the excessively busy marketplace...

...And one such pair from directly above him.

The terrifyingly fast velocity of Esdeath's downward dive towards him made Tatsumi's useless attempts at perceiving her even more wasteful as without Incursio, he couldn't even see her clearly as she fell. Tatsumi panicked, realising within seconds, Esdeath would be ontop of his position... He tried to leap backwards, hoping to avoid the collision zone and it's radius. Partly succeeding as she landed with the enormous explosive impact, surely ending the lives of anyone inside the house below them.

Mere seconds later as Esdeath arose from the destroyed hole in the house. The flying pieces of the broken roof flew across the area after Esdeath landed on them. Coated with ice, numerous unassuming civillains on the streets found themselves impaled with the debris, painfully choking on the spewing blood from their rurptured internal organs as they slowly died. Tatsumi didn't know if Esdeath intended for this or not, but right now... He didn't care.

"Esdeath...!" Tatsumi shouted in distress and anger as she stood still like a statue, merely observing him. Her face blank while his own was twisted with grief. It was any surprise that Tatsumi had been able to shout at all, much less be heard as the sounds of screaming and shrieking were all that could be heard in the area, quietly followed by the frantic footsteps of those fleeing from the scene in panic. Nobody dared do anything else, they knew exactly what Esdeath's power was but more importantly...

How utterly horrific, it was.

As did Tatsumi, whom felt extremely guilty for this whole event transpiring in the first place. Knowing what needed to be done, he lunged straight towards Esdeath with an raised fist. Deciding to risk his entire mission to prevent anymore needless bloodshed.

 ** _"Mahapadma...!"_**

As time itself froze by Esdeath's resolute will, Tatsumi's eyes perceived the Ice Queen's formerly emotionless visage become one of triumph and victory indicated by the massive grin currently on her face. Unlike when Esdeath had used Mahapadma before, Tatsumi couldn't move. Incursio had been able to adapt itself to the technique, allowing for slow gradual movement during it's effects but he wasn't currently wearing Incursio.

So when the disabling blow came against the back of his neck, Tatsumi had only one option.

Fall unconscious.

And that's exactly what happened. Tatsumi's limp body was caught and wrapped by Esdeath's intimacy seeking hands. She proudly carried Tatsumi in her arms, pressing him against her and taking deep long winded breaths of his brown hair as she sighed in relief. Once technique's duration had ended, Esdeath's forces soon arrived to the scene. Ordered to assess the damage and make the required arrangements for the reconstruction, along with mercy killing any of the injuried left alive.

"If you weren't such a naughty boy... This wouldn't have happened, Tatsumi." Esdeath said to the unresponsive unconscious Tatsumi. Cradling him, while running several fingers through his soft hair.

She smirked at his muted silence even if she already knew he couldn't respond, leaning down to kiss his forehead but just as the contact was just inches away from being made. Her enhanced senses had been triggered to something that wasn't right, a unfamiliar scent that didn't belong on her mate.

 _A woman's scent._

This surprise revelation shocked Esdeath to the core, making every hair on her body stand straight. She threw Tatsumi's body against the intact part of the rooftop as he wheezed painfully while remaining unconscious. With a decided motion, Esdeath undressed Tatsumi by pulling down and lifting his pants and shirt respectively.

She threw her face against the various undressed parts of his body... Esdeath deeply sniffled at places, she suspected the other female to have been. Still shaken by the revelation somebody else had touched Tatsumi. She however wasn't convinced Tatsumi wanted to purposefully betray her as she knew full well that Tatsumi wouldn't be able to hide that from her and she knew that he knew.

Upon Esdeath's examination concluding Tatsumi's body hadn't been touched anymore than the forehead, she leaned over him on all fours. Sending huge sweeping motions of her tongue against the area below Tatsumi's hairline, metaphorically reclaiming that spot on Tatsumi's body for herself once more.

The tight pressure of Esdeath's large breasts against his own muscular chest made breathing for the unconcious Tatsumi, extremely uncomfortable and strained. Noticing this, she eventually ceased the action fueled by possessive thoughts. Standing straight as she lifted Tatsumi yet again, into her welcoming arms. Not bothering to pull up his trousers or pull down his shirt.

Some of Esdeath's gathered forces had been observing the crazed action, partly concerned for their General and also extremely jealous of the Jaeger even if he had just been physically assaulted by the same woman they lusted after.

The reason Esdeath hadn't dressed Tatsumi was that, she wanted everyone to know exactly what Tatsumi's magnificent body looked like and whom owned it exclusively. Esdeath didn't intend for Tatsumi's punishment to be half naked public exposure, as she had her own plans for what Tatsumi needed to endure before she'd be satisfied with the entire situation.

It took no less than twenty minutes to return to the Palace and daylight was fleeting in the darker sky. When she arrived at the entrance to her quarters, Great General Budo was patiently waiting outside of the doors. It was obvious that Esdeath couldn't walk past him without engaging in an conversation with the man, so she inclined... Afterall, she wouldn't need to tolerate him for longer than few weeks, considering Budo's plans in regards to the Prime Minister.

"Explain yourself and your actions, General Esdeath." Budo demanded, his voice unfriendly.

"I see no reason, why I should." General Esdeath replied, stroking the sedidated Tatsumi's inner thigh intimately. Obviously more interested in her lover than the Great General.

"Does chain of command sound remotely familar to you, Esdeath?" Budo stated.

"Ah, yes. So I suppose you do hold technical authority over me, even if it doesn't account for much." Esdeath emptily stated with a smile, her grip on Tatsumi becoming alot more firm in rising controlled anger when she noticed Budo's repulsed, disgusted stares at the unconscious Jaeger.

"And I'll exercise that same authority if you don't cease with your massacre of the Empire's populace!" Budo yelled, invoking no reaction from Esdeath but Tatsumi stirred awake abit.

"Tell me, Esdeath... What would make you more cooperative with the ways of the Empire?" Budo, lowering his voice, asked.

"If you want my cooperation, I only desire one simple thing... Return my mate's Teigu to my quarters before the end of the day then you can rest assured I'll stay my hand." Esdeath knew demanding this from Budo wouldn't be easy. He was a proud creature and he had been the one to retrain Tatsumi's power in the first place, but... Unexpectedly Budo nodded.

"Very well, I expect that you keep very close eyes on him... For if he wavers, I shall personally end the miserable existence of the boy." Budo walked away without another word, moving to retrieve Incursio from the Teigu Gallery.

"Oh, believe me... I will do, Great General." She mockingly bowed when he was quite a distance away, firmly holding Tatsumi, grinning widely at her success. Knowing that Tatsumi's spirits would be lifted with this.

"...But if you assume you've got my full cooperation when you disrespect my property so blantly. You've got a rude awakening ahead of you, one that leaves one's _head_ on a spike." With that, General Esdeath walked through the open double doors of the luxurious adorned residence, noticing Makoto was back by the quiet sounds coming from the boy's room, some distance away.

Tatsumi's body was laid on the bed, as Esdeath walked into the shower room afterwards. Planning to wake him up once she was done

Makoto, sitting on the edge of his bed in his room, had been staring at his left arm for the past hour...

Closely watching it **_vanish_** and **_reappear_** backwards and forwards from reality.

As if it didn't exist in the first place.

There wasn't much that produced fear in the Ice Prince, but the ten year old was forced to come to terms with the horrible implications of traveling to the past and it scared him.

If Esdeath and Tatsumi's love didn't exist...

 _Neither would he._

 **Anyone else feel bad for Makoto, eh?**

 **Because I do, Esdeath isn't all that easy for Tatsumi to fall in love with when she's killing people left and right.**

 **Thus we've got our first example of the implications endangering Makoto's mission, back to the future style!**

 **Remember to rate, favourite and review! Especially the last one, I can't get enough of those!**

 **...Unless they become my previous English Teacher and force me to retake my exams, I'M REALLY TRYING, OK?!**

 **(Seriously I am.)**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed and see you soon!**


	12. Chapter 12 - Family Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi rightfully belongs to Esdeath- (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

By the time, Esdeath had left the shower with nothing more than a simple plain white towel to hide her more intimate parts. Tatsumi was already awake, sitting up and recovering from the lingering pain from the blow that Esdeath had given him. Sitting on their comfortable bed's side, holding his aching head while slowly sipping some water. His still dazed mind was racing with left over emotion's from today's earlier incident, he didn't know what to feel at the moment. Tatsumi just felt empty and immensely helpless, more than usual. The whole scenario with Esdeath yet again, broke the already fragile delusion that he could limit the damage she caused by simply existing.

He partly accepted to be hers in the first place, so he could hopefully distract her from the countless cruelties that she brought unto the world by indulging some of her softer aspects. Alas, he figured that Esdeath would keep being Esdeath regardless if she had him with her. She would continue propagating more meaningless chaos and carnage for her satisfaction alone, no matter whatever cost was incurred by those targeted by her dominating presence. Just by being herself, she destroyed the Empire abit more everyday and the Prime Minister would ensure whatever damage she caused, would be repaired before it's destruction could spread further than acceptable. Tatsumi knew that Honest couldn't be allowed to live, if he were to ruin the Empire forever and let something better emerge in it's place.

Yet the hopelessness of the entire situation hurt still Tatsumi alot, even more than the slowly receding pain in his neck.

"Take these, Tatsumi. They'll help with your pain." Esdeath kindly spoke with an smile, standing near Tatsumi's current position. Wrapped with the towel across her chest, directly infront of her mate, opening her palm to reveal some familar pills. These were the painkillers that Esdeath usually used for Tatsumi, whenever she accidentally went overboard during their training sessions together... When sparring become full on fights. In Esdeath's defense, she always apologized with kind words, gentle kisses and cuddling afterwards, without fail. Usually postponing all of her scheduled duties for the next day, so she could personally nurse Tatsumi. It wasn't the only medication that Esdeath kept hidden in her quarters, she had alot of different drugs to use for Tatsumi exclusively.

Whenever he was feeling abnormally unruly and restless, she'd slip some sleeping medicine into his mouth through a passionate kiss. And when Tatsumi wasn't as lively as she wanted him to be during the frequent sexual encounters that Esdeath hungered for... She would increase Tatsumi's vigor with unorthodox methods, using stimulants that increased stamina, so she could ride Tatsumi's length wild until the morning arose. Of course, Esdeath didn't like restoring to these methods and usually omitting them entirely unless the Jaeger especially kept himself away from her for extended periods.

This only made Tatsumi's hesitance more pronounced, when she presented the painkillers.

"They're just painkillers, Tatsumi. They won't knock you out." She affirmed, partly rolling her eyes yet understanding Tatsumi's relucance either way.

"You're awfully fond of knocking me out, it's an surprise you tolerate me conscious." Tatsumi quipped as he avoided Esdeath's gaze, referencing today's events and her controlling behavior as he drank the rest of the water with the pills inside. Swallowing them as Esdeath watched Tatsumi with barely hidden satisfaction, placing her hands unto her hips.

"You belong to me, Tatsumi. It's for me, and only me to decide when you should have freedom of movement." Esdeath stated as if this was simply fact, not deeply rooted possessiveness. Thankfully for Tatsumi, his neck's throbbing sensation ceased as if it hadn't existed almost immediately as he had figured the painkillers were fast acting against simple aftershock like that. They however didn't do much good, when dealing with some of the injuries Esdeath inflicted on Tatsumi in training as they were usually alot more grevious and long lasting.

"When you say it like that, I might aswell be locked up in this room." Tatsumi sadly noted as his hands clenched into the sheets, as Esdeath instantly caught unto her lover's more depressed demeanor and dull expression. Having noted that he had been avoiding looking at her despite clearly acknowledging that she was there.

"Don't be like that, sweet thing. Look... I've got you something you'd like." Possessively taking ahold of Tatsumi's cheek with her closest hand as he leaned down abit closer to his level, lifting his head to meet her mischievous gaze as she grinned with pent up anticipation for the upcoming reveal. She was very excited for this, she knew that this would win alot of love for her. Tatsumi was, well, currently tremendously distracted as the positioning of her mature seductive body openly displayed a less than modest amount of cleavage. Esdeath's large breasts were practically spilling out from her loose towel, she had herself noted that Tatsumi's eyes were sinking lower and lower with each passing second. If she had been any other woman in the capital, she'd have had her hand firmly imprint itself on Tatsumi's cheek.

But Esdeath wasn't a simple ordinary woman from the capital, she wasn't even from the capital for starters, she was exceedingly different and unique. She took Tatsumi's gazes with pride, delight and utmost pleasure absolutely adoring the enduring sway that her body had over him. The blushing Tatsumi himself was horrified yet also not by the fact, regardless of how many times, his eyes perceived Esdeath's erotic naked body... He simply couldn't get enough of it.

"Let's not waste time, I have something planned for later this evening that includes you, Tatsumi." Esdeath announced whilst smiling knowingly, taking Tatsumi strongly by the wrist with an tug as she pulled him along to the newly placed elegant weapon rack residing across the room near the door. It was beautifully decorated and designed, Tatsumi himself agreeing with this. Esdeath's rapier currently rested on it along with another weapon covered in cloth, yet they'd be one more slot ready for another weapon with Esdeath's positioned at the top and the cloaked sword being in the middle.

"I present to you, my love..." Esdeath said as she lifted the tiny cloth.

"...Incursio!" At this surprising revelation, Tatsumi's eyes widened drastically. Sure, he could feel Incursio nearby in the area but ever since it was taken from him. He could, it was only few floors away in the Teigu Gallery... But now it was here, in Esdeath's quarters and most importantly.

 ** _Within' his reach._**

"Did Budo finally lose his marbles, Esdeath?" Tatsumi joked with surprise in his tone, yet earnestly asking the question at the same time.

"I have given Budo, my cooperation in exchange for Incursio." Esdeath emptily stated, glancing towards' Tatsumi for an fix on his expression.

"So, does that mean you'll be more careful in the future when dealing with civilians?" Tatsumi asked, hoping to receive the answer that he, so desperately wanted.

"You could say that, I have promised the Empire's people with protection... So I'll indulge Budo's plight for an while." Esdeath uncharacteristically giggled, folding her arms as she kept her gaze on Tatsumi then switching to Incursio.

Sure, they'd be restrictions obviously. But Tatsumi finally could wield Incursio freely as long as he had Esdeath's verbal consent, this meant as long as he was careful and successfully convinced her. He could finally proceed with his original mission, to ruin the Empire's ruling structure for the inside. He had already begun working on it previously in his spare time, by listing targets categorized by importance to of least importance, from those most connected to the Prime Minister's main sphere of influence in his diary kept hidden away in secret. To avoid involving Esdeath, Tatsumi had taken great pains to attend every meeting Esdeath was allowed to take him along in. Crossing any of the targets off the list that Esdeath favored, knowing that she'd have her men sweep the entire palace for the perpetrator provided somebody whom she promised protection suddenly went missing with substantial evidence of assassination being the sole cause.

Tatsumi knew that she wouldn't be motivated to find them, out of purely revenge but instead desire to see their murderer break down in the torture chambers for her own satisfaction.

She bore no malice nor hatred towards anyone whom found themselves on the opposite end of her expertise in the chambers, she only saw it as the natural order of ways. The weak were hers to play with, and if they wanted to avoid this fate... They needed to be stronger than her...

Which was impossible, in itself.

All that grim awfulness aside, this was GREAT news! Truly wonderful news for Tatsumi.

"Oh, Esdeath! I love you so much, right now!" Tatsumi cried, throwing his arms around Esdeath's body without any reluctance in his motions or words.

Esdeath instinctively embraced her lover when his arms came around, but she merely looked at him. She was confused but not unhappy in the slightest, she had expected Tatsumi to smile and express thanks. He was polite and gentle, afterall. But this result was more than she could have imagined, for Tatsumi had actually said those three magic words that Esdeath had longed for...

 _I love you._

Esdeath's light grip on Tatsumi soon became alot more firm and maddeningly frantic, she possessively clung unto the sides of his arms. Pressing him and trapping him at the same time, looking straight into his eyes as the towel came completely loose from the sudden shaking of her body.

"Say it again, Tatsumi. Say it louder!" She demanded strongly despite it being more akin to pleading as Tatsumi simply nodded, his current mental state being cooperative enough to allow him to say it.

"I love you, Esdeath." Tatsumi said once more, he imagined being alot more hesitant to say this and believe me, he could hardly bring himself to say it before... But Tatsumi's happiness at seeing Incursio in his possession again and realizing the many possibilities that awaited him, removed any guilt in his mind.

"Aaaah... You're unbelievably perfect, Tatsumi." Esdeath sighed euphorically with an ecstatic expression, giddy like a schoolgirl, as she loosened her grip on his arms thus allowing him movement once again.

"But now that you've said them, you cannot take them back. Those words are mine now." She winked teasingly with confidence, clearly pleased with the result of the reveal.

"Well, I can try." Tatsumi added with something of an smile as his senses picked up another person close by. His senses only just picking up the individual as they were dulled by Esdeath's overwhelming aura, blocking any chance to notice somebody else unless they purposefully made themselves known.

"Who's the other person, Esdeath? You didn't say that we'd have guests." Tatsumi continued, looking at her as she stood fully nude infront of him without a care, her towel residing on the floor. But for once, Tatsumi's eyes were fixed on hers.

"Oh, I thought you'd never ask..." Esdeath grinned, taking ahold of Tatsumi's face with one and running her fingers along the strands of his hair with the other hand.

"Also, could you... Get dressed, please." Tatsumi mentioned with clear embarrassment, becoming pretty uncomfortable with Esdeath's shamelessness when it came to himself.

"Fine, I can't introduce you both in this state anyway." Esdeath said as she walked over to the closest, which contained numerous sets of her white iconic authoritative uniform and the rest of her clothes. She chose her uniform, as she still had upcoming business with her Jaegers. In this time, Tatsumi had asked plenty questions about the quest, only getting one word answers that led to nothing but more questions. He had averted his gaze as she dressed despite obviously having seen much of her nude as it is, stretching his muscles abit as he still felt abit woozy from his enforced rest.

Soon, Esdeath was dressed and looked as terrifyingly dangerous and seductive as she usually had, walking to the door leading into the spare room whilst gesturing for Tatsumi to follow her lead. Which he did, upon completing his stretches, feeling alot better.

Inside his recently furnished room, Makoto sat on the floor with his back leaning against the side of his bed. Several informative books scattered across the floor near him, their contents opened and their pages read. His messy bedroom didn't just contain books about the Empire and stories for people about his age, but plenty other items that Esdeath had requested for him from the capital. From toys, extra pillowcases, fancy clothes that she thought she'd suit and many more lavish items. He was immensely grateful for all of this, he expressed that clearly upon their arrival... But what Makoto was more grateful for was that his arm had stopped vanishing on him, he was afraid that it'd begin again... But sensed his father's awakening in the other room, it stopped entirely.

"Oh, darling..." Esdeath cooed softly with motherly undertones, as she opened the door slowly as Tatsumi whom followed closely behind her froze up at the mere mention of the affectionate phase, realizing why the presence felt awfully familiar. Scarily Familiar.

"Ah, Mom! You're back, and you've bought Father!" Makoto leapt up from his position on the carpet floor as he contained childish excitement, that Tatsumi hadn't seen before. His eyes immediately fixed themselves on his Father as Tatsumi looked back.

"Just call me, Dad... Makoto." Tatsumi replied on pure instinct, feeling uncomfortable with both titles yet deciding on the least uneasy one from the two, without thinking of the implications of his words. Not realizing that Esdeath didn't know they had met before, days before she had. She immediately glared at Tatsumi, taking him strongly by the collar as she had been standing behind him.

"That was an excellent guess, Tatsumi." She breathed with hostility in her voice, pulling him closer.

"Esdea-" Tatsumi yelped as he tried to speak, almost falling back.

"It's like you two are already **_quite_** familiar with each other... This was also supposed to be an surprise for you." Despite Esdeath's obvious aggressive behavior with Tatsumi, she displayed none of this with Makoto. Not even showing him the same glare as she had his Dad.

"Yes, we are...! I can explain, just let me speak...!" Tatsumi shouted loudly as the hand that held his collar came unto his neck, holding him firm.

"You've got fifteen seconds, Tatsumi... I don't like to wait for my explanations~" The context of Esdeath's foreboding words were stark contrast with her current sickeningly sweet tone along with her savage actions, she nibbled abit against Tatsumi's left ear while waiting.

"I met him... The night I vanished, when I joined you!" Tatsumi explained with nervous pleads, his worried eyes glanced to Makoto whom merely nodded at him.

"...He's telling the truth, Mom!" Makoto added, backing up Tatsumi with shaky words.

This only made Esdeath more annoyed, she increased her grip on his neck as Tatsumi's as he began expressing more resistance by struggling abit more, he didn't want to invoke more anger in her but he wasn't willing to be pushed around more than he already had today.

"Why didn't you tell me, Tatsumi...?" Esdeath asked, looking at him questioningly.

"...Tell me, honestly. Would you have believed me, Esdeath?" Tatsumi responded with an sincere enough tone, that Esdeath lessened her grip.

"No... If you had told me that without any conclusive evidence then I wouldn't have." Then, realizing the irrationality of her actions, released Tatsumi from her as he fell unto his knees. Makoto immediately rushing over and helping him unto the bed as they both sat beside each other on it. Exchanging smiles, Tatsumi thankful for Makoto's assistance in his testimony. Regardless of the acceptance that she had been wrong in her actions, she still felt irritated with Tatsumi but she knew that she couldn't stay angry with him forever. Her body wouldn't allow it, she herself wouldn't allow it.

Eventually, she caved into her more basic needs.

Stepping carefully across Makoto's room, as it was still littered with open books, to Tatsumi's current location in it, Makoto nervously watching his mother standing inches away from Tatsumi. She surprised him when she took ahold of Tatsumi's head, shoving him straight into her chest cleavage. Pressing her chin against his scalp, stroking it at the same time with her hands.

"Even if you don't think I'll believe your words, Tatsumi. I'll always be willing to hear them out, that I promised you... So don't keep secrets from me, otherwise I won't be able to back you up when they turn up true." Whilst Esdeath's clearly spoke words didn't sound condescending or demeaning to Tatsumi, he knew what she was really saying was something along the lines of.

 _If you don't tell me everything that goes in your life, I won't be satisfied._

But Tatsumi still could appreciate partly what Esdeath was also trying to say aswell, that she'd be willing to listen to some of the strangest things without immediately deeming him borderline psychotic or mentally impaired. Heck, he could probably tell her that Wave had assaulted him, or one of her own troops did and she'd still take his side until given conclusive evidence of the deed's truth before acting with the punishment.

"I won't... You have my word, Esdeath." Tatsumi muffled in her chest, lifting his head as Esdeath lifted herself to allow his to move free.

"Very good, exactly as I wanted... Now, pay close attention you both." Esdeath stepped back, to get an good look at the two of them. Her precious boys, she smiled warmly at them. Speaking with renewed authority as she eyed Tatsumi first.

"Tatsumi, you've got forms to sign with your signature. They're waiting in the study on your desk." She gestured in the direction of the study with her fingers, keeping her gaze on Tatsumi.

"What forms, I've already filled out all of my paperwork... Right?" Tatsumi said with an confused expression, scratching his head as Makoto spoke up.

"Mom means my adoption papers, Dad." He said timidly as he looked at his stunned father.

"Ado- Adoption papers?!" Tatsumi almost yelled, even _MORE_ confused by the whole new given situation now. Scratching his head abit more in rapidly growing confusion.

"Yes, Tatsumi. Adoption papers, you may resent them as much as you want... Gods know that I do." Esdeath tiredly complained, filling them out in the first place had been unbareable as she pressed her fingers against her eyes, she hardly did complain about mundane things too, so Tatsumi knew she felt strongly about this.

"But they're an required evil... Not everyone will believe that Makoto came from the distant future, Teigu or not. So we must explain his role in our lives through other means, for his protection against those that might wish him harm." Esdeath's words alone convinced Tatsumi that she had Makoto's best interests at mind, fully willing to put aside any possible bragging about siring Tatsumi's son with the rest of the Empire for her child's safetly. Tatsumi didn't want to admit it, but Esdeath was looking to make an really good mother than he imagined possible.

"I'm with you one hundred percent, I already know what it's like to be loathed by the Empire... So I wouldn't wish it on anyone..." Tatsumi stated bitterly but with resolve.

"...Especially not my son." As he finished Tatsumi smiled warmly at Makoto, even if it had shocked Tatsumi alot at the start. He had gradually gotten better at accepting Makoto, especially considering Tatsumi desperately wanted to lead the boy unto the right path in life. One that avoided bloodshed and looked for solutions through peaceful communication with each other without restoring to violence with petty justification. Which was rich coming from an assassin, but even then Tatsumi didn't want Makoto to continue the following the same life he had, he was still very young. There was still time to change for the better.

In response to his father's kind words, Makoto happily embraced him with it being returned. Tatsumi chuckling as he patted the smaller boy on the head, as they'd separate, Esdeath watched with wide large smiles.

"I'll get started on the forms, the sooner... The better." Tatsumi said, standing up and moving to leave before being stopped yet again although he wasn't annoyed.

"After that, we'll be meeting with the other Jaegers at one of the dining halls that I've reserved... Makoto will be coming with us." Esdeath replied, staring at Tatsumi as she had been unaware of her son's excited expression. Esdeath had noticed that he had really come out of his shell, perhaps from exposure to the less hectic era they dwelled in and being free of Agotian's constant boasting about hunting accomplishments.

Tatsumi merely nodded, walking over to the study as he placed his hands inside his long coat's pockets. Esdeath watched him leave with a smile, one that continued when she looked down at Makoto.

"So, what's the plan... Mom?" The small boy asked his mother as she smirked mischievously at him, taking her hat off from her head before placing it on his own. Grinning with amusement as she giggled loudly at the irresistibly cute sight she had created.

"That look suits you, sweetie. Perhaps one day you'll be General Makoto of the Empire alongside your parents." Because of the large size of it, the military cap had been titled to the left abit as it looked awfully adorable to Esdeath's eyes. Oh, how she wanted to see him grow and become stronger than herself. It was every mother's desire to see their children succeed, afterall. Feeling abit overwhelmed and unworthy of the hat, Makoto begun to remove it as Esdeath stopped him with an unexpected action.

She lifted him from his waist, and hoisted unto her shoulders, his little legs dangling down her torso as he held unto her head. Her hands kept firm grip of his legs, as he continued the wear the hat. He still needed to lean abit down as Esdeath was rather tall and to avoid hitting the ceiling of his room, she glanced up to her son as the hat begun covering his eyes.

"Shall we go for an stroll together around the Palace, dear?" Esdeath said, totally serious. She felt awfully good about parading him around on her shoulders, content to leave Tatsumi alone in the study for an while even with Incursio so close to him. She was assured that now that Makoto was with them, he'd begin taking things alot more seriously than he had before in the past. Insubordination was frequent with Tatsumi, usually when dealing with Esdeath's more disdainful soldiers, although she always remanded them.

"Yeah... I'd like that, Mom." Makoto nodded in agreement, smiling more than ever.

Soon, they'd take to the large wide corridors of the Palace with what seemed to the rest of the Imperial Guards, Couriers and Politcians as an little tiny General riding on the back of his proud loyal subordinate. Alot of them wanted to laugh but they kept themselves quiet, Esdeath was bouncing much more than usual. Bobbing Makoto's head up and down as the cap almost fell with each stride she made. After some minutes, Tatsumi found them both after leaving the study in Esdeath's quarters.

And all three walked to the dining hall for an meal.

Tatsumi unaware of the two newest additions to the Jaegers, his new comrade in arms.

 _ **Dr. Stylish and Seryu Ubiquitous.**_

Two of his worst hated enemies, formerly dead...

 _...If only Tatsumi knew what awaited him, he wouldn't have been so happy for the upcoming event in the first place._

 **Who loves dialogue?**

 **I doooo!**

 **Well, I knew that I needed alot more of it in my writing anyway as it's just descriptions of character's feelings and already established motivation.**

 **So mixing it with more speech and action should prove satisfying for those wanting the plot to advance somewhere x'D**

 **Chapter Thirteen should prove to be exciting with the dining experience from hell...!**

 **Makoto versus Stylish and Tatsumi versus Seryu...!**

 **Heck, I'm so excited that I might just write it all tomorrow x'D**

 **Who knows! Stay tuned, and make sure to rate and review! I'm loving the support for the fic!**


	13. Chapter 13 - Dine in Hell

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.

For such a large dining hall, it was tremendously silent. Completely silent due to the command of the strongest individual sat currently eating at the table, sat beside her mate and their child.

They hadn't always been this quiet as they all ate, infact... It had been exceedingly noisy which was partly why it was so muted now. Tatsumi and Wave were shocked to see the two newest additions to the Jaegers, especially when they were former members thought dead.

Only Wave was happy if not surprised.

Tatsumi's own reaction had been barely contained violent fury as Seryu Ubiquitous represented alot of Tatsumi's pain in the past and the loss of his confidant and important comrade Sheele, and as if it wasn't bad enough already. Mine was dead, and the monster she killed was reborn again. Tatsumi's guilt increased tenfold, realising the accomplishments of his fallen allies had been rendered null and void, even without knowing the reason how.

He didn't care.

Tatsumi only wished that having Seryu back meant also having Mine too, but then he knew that even if that were true. If it were possible to leave and go back to living as he did, the person whom tightly clung on his shoulder would never allow that.

During that time, Esdeath had noticed Tatsumi's heightened aggressive state, slowly calming him down by applying gentle squeezes on his shoulder. Makoto stood beside him, emptily looking at Dr. Stylish whom waited near Seryu to be acknowledged.

What surprised Tatsumi was that Seryu hadn't said anything to him, considering she was aware of his presence and undoubtedly felt exactly as he did. He expected a quip, or something of an remark on his change of allegiance.

But Tatsumi never received that.

"Eat Tatsumi, you've barely touched your food." Esdeath nudged Tatsumi's right arm with her left as she was sitting beside him with Makoto directly near her too. Kurome and Wave were obviously sat beside each other as were Dr. Stylish and Seryu. That much was natural.

"I'm... Not exactly hungry." Tatsumi remarked, his eyes staring at his well prepared food as Esdeath pressed the matter with concern.

"You haven't ate all day- You won't be leaving this room until you've finished the entire meal, Tatsumi." Adjusting her cap and staring at the Tatsumi's face, she grabbed his cheek and pulled him close to the point, he couldn't avoid her gaze.

"Did I make myself clear to you, my mate?" Esdeath appiled some pressure against his cheekbones with her hand cupping his face, yet not enough to actually hurt him, Tatsumi instinctively recoiled and groaned in pain.

"Ye- Yeah, whatever you say- Let me go, now.' He shakily replied, unable to avoid Esdeath's piercing blue eyes.

With satisfaction at his submission, Esdeath pulled him closer until she could kiss him, and she did exactly that. Pressing his jaw ever so slightly to make his mouth open wide, in which she then forced her entire mouth over his and begun sliding her tongue into it.

Taking control of the situation as Tatsumi could only tightly grip against the armrests of his chair and hoped she stopped soon as he tried to return the dominant kiss.

Thankfully for Tatsumi's conscious, Makoto was busy eating to spot his parents shamelessly making out at the dinner table. Kurome and Wave shared glances, and Dr. Stylish and Seryu observed with surprise.

Esdeath's plan with this specific action, was an message. While she enjoyed assuming dominance over her mate, she also used physical affection to express points when met with adversary.

For example, Tatsumi had been insulted by an member of the Emperor's own personal guard. The man proclaiming openly infront of General Esdeath as she stood meters away about Tatsumi's worthlessness in comparison with the Ice Queen, which Tatsumi agreed with sarcastically.

Upon hearing this, she marched up to Tatsumi and took a firm unrelenting hold on his shirt before shredding it into pieces and pinning him against the nearest wall as the hapless man watched in the background. Esdeath had thought about merely torturing the man, letting him off with some permanent scars and several hot iron brands against his chest but she decided instead that she'd torture him by indulging her own desires with Tatsumi.

When she finally finished, Tatsumi had been a shaking quivering sticky mess. She hadn't gone all of the way with him, merely scratching his torso until it bled, only leaving slight scars that would heal without a trace in time, biting his neck and arms to drink his blood abit and kissing him until Tatsumi's mouth went numb...

As soon as they stopped, the guard's empty expression became lively as he ran away screaming in disbelief.

Esdeath let him go, satisfied his lesson was learnt, lifting the sexually overstimulated and hurt Tatsumi over her shoulder and walking to her quarters to continue what they had begun, for several more hours.

...She later had the man framed and executed regardless several days later before word could spread, deciding Tatsumi's reputation was important to maintain aswell even if she sometimes wanted the entire Empire to know exactly what she did to him.

So, in effect, General Esdeath was teaching the same harsh lesson to her recent returning members. That Tatsumi belonged to her and his body was hers aswell thus any threat to it's well being would be met without mercy. She didn't even need to warn them about Makoto, his appearance alone instantly clued them unto his immense importance to her and the fact, unlike Tatsumi, he was completely at ease in her presence as if it was exactly where he wanted to be. Which wasn't actually wrong in itself.

"Aah... You didn't need to do that, Esdeath." Tatsumi whined, gazing away from her as the rest looked on.

"Of course I did, don't think I haven't seen how you look at Ubiquitous." Esdeath stated, seeing straight right through him despite Tatsumi only making a slight effort in concealing his hatred for his latest teammate.

Seryu interjected before Tatsumi could reply, Wave and Kurome staying silent as Dr. Stylish quietly giggled.

"I think we'll get along splendidly Tatsumi, you're finally where you belong...! With us, the Empire!" The affirmation of Tatsumi's current allegiance to General Esdeath struck several painful chords in his mind, his guilt that whilst Akame, Leone and the remnants of the Revolutionary Army fought and struggled every single day to survive and endure... He was currently sat comfortable as can be, surrounded by luxuries and things unobtainable through normal means in several lifetimes alone.

His only virtue was Esdeath's all consuming love and devotion to him.

Without it, Tatsumi wouldn't have any of this... What made it even worse, was that without Tatsumi then Makoto wouldn't even have life. So despite if Tatsumi wanted to, he couldn't turn his back fully on the Empire without dooming his own flesh and blood to an existence of loneliness and torment. Even if Esdeath refused to let Tatsumi suffer loneliness, he surely felt it and loathed it in tremendous amounts.

To Seryu's olive branch of supposed peace, Esdeath folded her arms under her chest as she observed with an pleased grin.

Tatsumi merely continued eating his food in complete silence, emotionally defeated, as everyone did aswell. Meanwhile, Dr. Stylish had been meticulously mentally noting every single irregularity or acute divergence in Tatsumi's mannerisms, facial expressions and speech pattern from the expected form of the boy. Intent on discovering his true purpose in the Empire, correctly recognizing his falsehood, even when Esdeath and the rest hadn't aside from Ubiquitous.

Of course, even if he knew to the exact that Tatsumi wasn't siding with the Empire, just Esdeath. He wouldn't be able to doom him with merely his own words to count on, Stylish would be sent to the torture chambers for sure and he knew that. The unmarred portion of his face, unhidden by his mask currently housed the makings of an recovering scar previously inflicted by Esdeath.

Dr. Stylish had been given the luxury of handling the many brutal and horrific deeds that went down in the torture chambers during Esdeath's busy schedule, so he knew precisely what'd happen if he ever tried to expose Tatsumi on empty accusations alone and Esdeath was far more capable of causing agony than even himself when at his peak. Plus, provided he successfully managed to reveal the boy's true intentions then his fate would still be Esdeath's to decide alone, not the Emperor's. She had already made it firmly clear that Tatsumi solely belonged to herself.

Another issue on the matter was that Tatsumi according to Esdeath, was listed as Makoto's adoptive Father so he couldn't be removed from his so-called-son's life without many implications to the boy's future. However... This was the first time that Stylish had openly observed Makoto's face, never having the pleasure of seeing it before in Agotian's mansion. He had begun to strongly believe that Makoto was actually blood related to Esdeath, they looked so similar and regardless if cosmetic surgery could be performed to obtain such a look... They was nothing suggesting that nor anything else hinting he had been unnaturally changed to fit her purposes in any way.

Afterall, it'd take years to completely train a individual of his age into the perfect combination of Tatsumi and Esdeath within' merely two days without restoring to unorthodox methods, given that General Esdeath was infamous for practicing them without any restraint.

Thus Stylish's conjecture ended when Esdeath concluded the lovely evening dinner with an firm raise of her left hand.

"The Prime Minister is hosting a Ball on behalf of the Emperor for the Military in celebration of the Revolutionary Army's defeat in three days, I expect you all there present." General Esdeath announced clearly as everyone minus Makoto, whom quietly continued eating the remains of his food, look attentively at her figure.

Kurome and Wave were the first to respond, both nodding and arranging their plates neatly ontop of each others.

"You can count on us, General...! I can hardly wait!" Wave replied with giddiness, Stylish chuckling jovially in the background as he responded aswell.

"I'll make myself scarce before the Ball, so I'm in tip top condition to charm the guests~!" As the servants arrived to sweep the extravagant dining table of it's contents, Esdeath stood up so quickly that two of the servants almost dropped their carried plates due to the terrifying quickness of her movements, Tatsumi and Makoto following her actions as they both correctly assumed she'd want them to follow her.

It was already past Makoto's bedtime, if he had one.

"Do as you like, you are all dismissed until dawn tomorrow." With that, Esdeath strongly tugged Tatsumi's coat collar aggressively and pulled him out of the room, as their son trailed on behind them.

"Waah... What's up, I didn't say anything...!" Tatsumi complained, resisting abit as he glanced back towards the slightly embarrassed Makoto.

"No, you didn't... But you haven't exactly repaid me for spending the night away from me." Esdeath returned, still bitter about that regardless of it eventually turning in her favour with Makoto's discovery.

"You're -still- bitter about that, Esdeath?! After everything that's happened, really?" With that, Esdeath finally let go of Tatsumi, stopping in her tracks upon reaching the doors of their residence with her eyes not leaving him for an single second, Makoto standing readily near them.

"I won't be satisfied that you've learnt your lesson until I see to it myself." To Tatsumi, this meant that he'd be in for quite the night ahead of him.

The relentless smothering variety as he'd be privy to the way Esdeath's mind sometimes went about things in regards to his punishments for disobedience, not that he frequently invoked her nastier sides for amusement, always trying to avoid that whenever possible.

"...Let's just head inside, Makoto must be tired." Tatsumi tried changing the subject, in which Esdeath agreed.

"Yes, lets." Opening the doors, Esdeath walked inside and the two closely trailed her as the doors shut behind them.

"Don't be foolish, Dad. I'm... Not tired... Tell him, Mom." The youngster's worn drowsy facial expressions, slacking posture and slurred speech immediately disproved the words that escaped his mouth, Tatsumi wouldn't be so easily tricked and nor would Esdeath for that matter as she laughed at his adorable words, lifting her Makoto up by his waist with her hands and letting him sit under her arm as she held him closely against her chest as Makoto sunk into her hold, looking at the door to his room across from her current position.

"It's time for bed, sweetie. If you promise to fall asleep, Mommy will read whatever story you want her too." It amazed Tatsumi, just how heartwarming she could be when she wasn't being herself... When she was being the innocent, loving and beautiful version of herself that treasured the time she spent with him, and now the time she spent with Makoto. Amongst the many differences, Esdeath's expressions were more radiant and cheerful, her voice was sickeningly sweet without any falseness as these were all it took to reduce Makoto to an excited little boy...

Albeit, an extremely exhausted and tired one.

"Yes, yes! I've got just the perfect one, Mom! It's an written military report for an battle that you led yourself...!" While, not being the fictional story Esdeath was probably seeking to read her child, she accepted it anyway with an smile and a kiss for Makoto's cheeks.

"Then let's get you tucked in, but if you have nightmares then come straight to Mommy and Daddy." Esdeath gave one singular nod to Tatsumi, that basically translated into "Get into bed, I'll be with you soon." so Tatsumi knew what was expected of him, he watched them both head over to his room. Observing how Makoto became a ragdoll in his Mother's arms, letting her carry him wholeheartedly without any resistance as his legs dangled near the floor.

"If only I could be as sleepy as that kid, lucky him." Tatsumi joked as the door to Makoto's room closed, his body turning towards their bed as he stretched...

He couldn't sleep yet, for he knew that Esdeath was planning on making up for lost time in her own special way... It was times like this that Tatsumi wished Esdeath had just been asexual, but Makoto's existence begged to differ.

"...Maybe I can convince her that cuddling is the best alternative..." He leapt unto the bed after removing his coat, staring at the ceiling with fear ridden in his eyes.

 **So sorry for the shorter than usual chapter and the lack of updates recently.**

 **I will recify that, also! Apologies for anyone hoping for an fight between Seryu and Tatsumi, that'll come later for sure but I wanted them to least meet and create a newly forged adversarial relationship between the two of them as this isn't really the original Ubiquitous, not that Tatsumi cares anyway. xd**

 **I hope to indulge in the ongoings of Akame and Leone soon, hopefully that'll create alot of tension for the future of this fanfiction!**

 **Stay tuned, see ya!**


	14. Chapter 14 - Rise and Shine

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Akame Ga kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

In truthfulness, Tatsumi was particularly thankful that sleep currently wasn't on the agenda for him, least not for a while. For his mind, as it were, wasn't cooperating with him. His thoughts were solely fixated on the jarring events of the dinner table, what impact they'd have on his mission and most importantly of all... Esdeath.

Still, Esdeath was somewhat reasonable and willing to listen when she came to dealing with situations that included himself.

He was the object of her crazy love, afterall.

Minutes passed, yet no sound came from Makoto's room, due to the soundproof walls. Tatsumi curiously arose from his lying down position on the bed, his coat removed and laying on the nearby sofa. It was pointless to worry about them both, as they weren't in any immediate danger and together they probably formed quite the duo. Makoto's room didn't have any windows nor exits aside from the door leading into his parents room, which was probably what Esdeath intended as Tatsumi surely remembered the presence of an window in the room prior beforehand, albeit still barred and shut tightly.

That fact alone, gave way to quite the chuckle that wasn't happy nor sad. It was begrudging acceptance, he realized that Makoto wouldn't be allowed to escape from his mother's hold either. They were _both_ prisoners now but unlike Tatsumi, Makoto completely refused to consider himself such. There was one silver lining in this entire awful situation for Tatsumi, it was that with the arrival of two other members of the Jaegers, whom had previously been killed by himself and Night Raid. Meant that they'd be the first ones targeted by Akame and Leone, giving himself alot of important extra time to cause irreparable instability in the Empire's leadership, that's all he needed.

Then he wouldn't mind if Akame's blade pierced his skin.

Took his life.

Until then, he needed to bring the Empire to it's knees. Death could wait patiently for now.

In Makoto's room, Esdeath had finally concluded her story and was rewarded with the extremely cute sight of her child sleeping soundly on his bed, just seeing him like this provided her with immense satisfaction and happiness. She had undeniable evidence that her union with Tatsumi would provide exactly what she craved, beautiful children, beautiful _strong_ children.

Filled boundless untapped potential that kept expanding endlessly.

Of course, this wasn't Esdeath's primary goal when it came to Tatsumi but seeing how one of her desires would surely be fulfilled meant that she had alot of faith in their relationship working as Makoto's presence in the past proved that. Tragically unaware of that fact Makoto's very existence was at stake through her own evil actions.

Deeming that she shouldn't disturb her child's slumber any further with her intense staring and also fearing that Tatsumi would grow bored, which would lead to him escaping yet again. Esdeath silently left Makoto's bedroom, shifting into her own as Tatsumi laid on his side, faking sleep.

But Esdeath knew that he wasn't sleeping at all, her senses already told her that he was wide awake. She could hear the mild beatings of his heart as if it were her own, Esdeath crept closer towards the luxurious bed. Moving so stealthily that Tatsumi hadn't even noticed her arrival in the room despite patiently waiting on it, some minutes on.

When finally did so, it was already too late for him. Esdeath had already metaphorically deeply dug her nails into him and claimed her prize, swallowing him in her presence as she sank into the confines of the bed, moving under the covers so that Tatsumi was directly beside her position. Her eyes noticed, how his once relaxed alluring body immediately tensed up at her presence. It made her smile slightly, acknowledging that he knew she was there. Esdeath had expected Tatsumi to remain with his back turned away from her, laying on his side for a few more minutes but then something unexpected occurred within' the same instant, he swiftly turned around so that they were facing each other with his green emerald eyes staring directly at her own blue ones.

"What kept you, Esdeath?" Tatsumi spoke, nonchalantly.

" **Our** child did." She replied, in a similar yet clearly content fashion.

In response to the quick retort, Tatsumi's oncoming mild laughter couldn't be contained. He had been used to hearing the usual "Torture Chambers business" or "Public Execution" but for the first time, General Esdeath's reason for lateness was completely and utterly innocent, devoid of any cruelty nor malice that she kept so close to her side. Esdeath had seen Tatsumi laugh in the past, but it was always something akin to an snide chuckle, so when she saw this... She became somewhat uninterested in proceeding with her plans for tonight, but struggled that thought off.

Afterall, he had kept her waiting long already as it is.

Upon the eclipse of Tatsumi's outburst, Esdeath immediately spun him around so that he was currently laid on his back. Noticing that she'd be upon him within' mere moments, Tatsumi began making moves to sit up. Prevented by his other's much more faster approach, forcing him downwards once more as she crept on top of his body. Her eyes extremely predatory and frighteningly hungry, his body shook uncontrollably in fear as it always did. His own eyes tried to keep themselves locked with hers, but as Esdeath's eyes fell lower down his body. Tatsumi's eyes did the same, gulping at the sight of her exposed cleavage as Esdeath drew a sigh of satisfaction upon witnessing the solid crimson hue appearing on her man's face.

"I'm going to have you now, Tatsumi."

Gulping visibly, Tatsumi replied.

"I have absolutely no way to stop this, right? That wouldn't end with me, stuck inside some Imperial hospital ward for days." Tatsumi stated, as if trying to bargain his way from this. Regardless of that fact, Incursio's wielder already knew that she wouldn't be denied again.

Esdeath merely shook her head sideways, as if amused, affirming her desire whilst pressing her Tatsumi against the comfortable bed further.

Tatsumi swallowed all of the hesitation and reluctance in his mind, besides, what choice else was there?

Above all else, Tatsumi was largely thankful for the soundproofing of this room in particular as it meant that Makoto wouldn't be awoken from his slumber by his own Mother's insane lust-driven antics. Especially, as frequent as they were. Before any additional mental thoughts drove themselves into Tatsumi's skull, Esdeath swiftly tore all items of clothing aside briefs from Tatsumi's body, literally lifting his legs upwards to pull down his trousers. Frantically dragging them away from his waist, tossing them unto the floor without one singular care.

Tatsumi instinctively fought back, trying to pull himself in the opposite direction but Esdeath merely pulled harder until they were gone, removing his socks for good measure too. The poor Ex-Assassin felt awfully exposed, which was exactly what Esdeath wanted. As she was the only one, wearing anything at the current moment in time.

For what she did with Tatsumi's shirt, you may ask? Well, let's just say that it won't be seeing any usage in the practical sense.

Anytime in the near future without excessive repairs.

Continuing with the possessive assault, Esdeath halted all of Tatsumi's subconscious rebellions with one well placed frosty palm against her lover's naked torso. It's bitter cold, making him squirm violently, contort and yell in all of the ways that drove Esdeath utterly wild. Even if she already knew that Tatsumi wasn't fighting against her advances, because he didn't want them, but because it was what he had always done.

It didn't make General Esdeath, any less annoyed than she was. Sure, even if Tatsumi's consent was hers. She couldn't stand that particular part of him, didn't submit and bend to her whims as she wanted. That constantly tried to hide away, deny her of what she sought, what was worse was that Makoto had told her all about the Tatsumi that obeyed, cherished and adored her in the equal amounts that she had. So, it was impossible to avoid feeling as if she wasn't receiving all of the love that she could get from her beloved.

She wanted to squeeze him dry. Very, very much so.

Which, so to speak, was what she was beginning to do at the moment. Wasting no additional time with her own thoughts, instantly mounting Tatsumi's characteristically excited length as she drove him deeper into the bed, threatening to violently merge him with it by the frantic speed that she had let him enter inside her depths.

"...Aaaaah! Yes!" Tatsumi's wide eyes were suddenly forced closed by the intense constriction that overwhelmed him as they joined as one, he was only partly able to open them to observe Esdeath's own eyes blissfully closed along with her relieved vocal cry but Tatsumi's senses couldn't help but feel as if she was still holding back.

Even worse, they were terrifyingly accurate.

"Yes, yes, yes!" General Esdeath maddeningly continued, almost shouting, Tatsumi tried to lean upwards but his lover's hands took violent hold of his naked shoulders and refused to let go. Esdeath hadn't even begun to move, and she was currently directly on top of him in every sense of the word. Unknown to her beloved Tatsumi, Esdeath was currently simply enjoying the sensation of his being filling her as his eyes tried to find a way out that wouldn't appear.

"This is where you belong...!" The Ice Queen loudly affirmed practically hissing at him, lifting him and dragging upwards by the shoulders that she held tightly, strongly muffling Tatsumi's face into her uniform's exposed cleavage. Esdeath's uniform, due to the circumstances present, had clearly gotten untidy as the breasts that Tatsumi's face kept company began to slowly spill out from their uniform prison.

"I won't accept anything less than this, Tatsumi...! You are mine!" As Esdeath's excited voice arose, as did Tatsumi's muffled pleading moans as his panicked outcries were largely ignored, completely unheard by his oppressing sadistic counterpart. Suddenly, she threw Tatsumi's tense but partly limb body hard unto the sheets below, as his impact forced his hips to move into action upwards as it sent explosive shockwaves of pleasure throughout Esdeath's body at the movement.

Tatsumi's too, for that matter.

"That felt... Heavenly, my cute thing." Esdeath cooed softly, studying her partner's facial expressions, as she lifted Tatsumi upwards into her embrace but notably gentle and caring than previously. Unsurprisingly, that terrified Tatsumi even more than when she wasn't so gentle, his eyes alone saw the hunger that shamelessly presented itself on her face. Exemplified by the unseen action of Esdeath's tongue sliding across her lips in anticipation, as Tatsumi's head buried itself once more into her clothed chest. Tempted to close his eyes, he was halted from that by Esdeath's fingers making contact with his head and aggressively sliding themselves through his hair as within' five separate individual strides...

That same hand soon tightly took ahold of his hair so that Esdeath could ensure eye contact was made, and most important, kept between them. Tatsumi's mouth tried to muster words of protest and pain, but was currently occupied by it's own frantic gasping for air. His chest still felt horribly cold, as the tiny blizzard that Esdeath had place unto it, lingered even now.

"Can we paus-" Tatsumi moaned out, his pleading tone drove Esdeath absolutely wild with lust. He desperately tried to halt any further sadism inspired action from Esdeath, whom simply threw Tatsumi and herself crashing back unto the bed, to continue for many more hours.

It was dawn, and Tatsumi stood in line with the rest of the Jaegers, aside Dr. Stylish whom was still serving as Esdeath's replacement in the Imperial Torture Chambers that she held dominance over. Tatsumi had slept well, surprisingly for him. For once, Tatsumi wasn't subjected to Esdeath's superhuman hold whilst trying to get sleep, nor forcefully put to sleep via other alternative methods. They simply fell asleep naturally in each other's arms. As he recalled, while standing in line beside Wave, waiting commands from General Esdeath. Tatsumi somehow managed to satisfy Esdeath to the point, she herself was forced to withdraw and stand down.

The rest of the Jaegers were beside them both, side by side, in single formation. Esdeath's own battalion were preparing themselves in the background of the training yard, for what seemed to be another excursion into the lands past the Capital. Tatsumi never particularly relished the thought of these little "Leisure trips." as the further away from the Capital that they came. The chances of coming across remnant members of the Revolutionary Army increased drastically.

It was soon that they'd leave the Training yard and proceed to the main staging area, to disembark to whatever destination General Esdeath set out for them.

"Hey, aren't you excited Tatsumi, right?" Wave prodded, his voice distinctively whispering to his friend.

"What for?" Tatsumi replied, trying to conceal the look of dread on his face. Having admittedly had enough excitement for one week, waited for Wave's answer.

"The Imperial Celebration ball that's in two days from now, you know. I don't have to ask whom you are taking to it." Wave chuckled, his tone extremely quiet even now.

Kurome glanced over towards them from their left in the line, she stood beside Seryu Ubiquitous whom endlessly made attempts to strike up conversation with her.

"Yeah, not particularly by choice." Tatsumi sighed heavily, his tone far louder than Wave's own fearful one as he wasn't afraid of General Esdeath. But Wave's fear was very justified. This attracted Esdeath's attention by the sound of Tatsumi's voice.

"So, what is this about choice~?" With her arms folded across her uniform, looming tall over the two young men. General Esdeath's boots ensured that she'd always be a pretty scary presence. Wave snapped sharply into an salute formation, keeping his formerly slouched back. Now upright and tall. Tatsumi's posture didn't change much, aside from abit of an upright jolt. In the background, General Esdeath's Imperial Infantry bore intensely jealous glares into the largely oblivious Tatsumi.

"Absolutely nothing whatsoever, General...! Just excited by the chance to be useful to you, once again!" Wave strongly replied, keeping his stance. His loyalty wearing itself on it's shoulder.

"What Wave said." Tatsumi shrugged without so much as a care. General Esdeath coldly smiled at him as she extended an hand to stroke Tatsumi's face gently, lovingly but clearly hiding sweet undertones of hostility.

"You may win me over every now and then, Tatsumi. But I'm still in complete control of this wonderful relationship that we have, so be more... Obedient." As the last of her words came from her smiling lips, Esdeath applied one clearly hard squeeze to Tatsumi's rear with her left hand as she leaned over him. Withdrawing as Tatsumi, due to the sheer fact of the amount of force that she put behind it, shoved his head into his shoulder to muffle a shout.

"Sur-Sure, whatever you say!" Tatsumi, now saluting in the fashion similar to Wave as he tried to brush off Esdeath's casual violation of his bodily rights.

"Hey, where is-" Tatsumi stopped his absentminded words, then glanced across, left to right. Then right to left, as he tried to discover Makoto's faint presence that he picked up. Having woken up, as Esdeath had. Tatsumi actually wasn't aware if Makoto had actually left his room at the same time as he did, since Esdeath's motherly instincts kicked in and ruled out that Makoto would be allowed several minutes more rest before she woke him up. Tatsumi upon dressing and gazing at Incursio, left for the Training Yard after getting breakfast with Wave.

"Right behind you, Dad." His son quietly stated, accompanied by an yawn.

"Aaaah- Ok, ok! Please, I'd appreciate it if you didn't sneak up on me in the future." Tatsumi yelled out hysterically, clearly caught by surprise. He looked down on Makoto, whom seemed abit pleased with himself but didn't show it. Wave could be seen chuckling to himself in the background at the scene.

"Mother's told me all about how you specialize in sneaking up on people, so I thought I'd try it too." His childish innocence, sadly meant that Tatsumi couldn't stay completely mad at Makoto whom had pointed out alot of the irony in Tatsumi being surprised by his action.

"You didn't see him, Tatsumi...? I saw him walk over here, minutes ago." Wave noted, as he titled his head. Grand Chariot strapped around his back, as Incursio was kept on Tatsumi's own, having been returned to him by General Esdeath for the upcoming mission ahead.

"Yeah, that I didn't. I must be losing my touch, or something." Tatsumi brushed off Wave's concerns, hiding his emotional conflict with one falsely carefree laugh. Looking at Wave, he didn't notice that Esdeath and Makoto were currently sharing glances between each other across from the yard. Glances that soon found themselves both looking at Tatsumi.

"Sooo~ Who's ready to work hard, all for the Empire! Let's kill some bad guys, yeah!" Seryu over-excitedly chimed in, as she broke formation like Tatsumi and Wave to speak with them. It was now that Tatsumi felt even more awful in his stomach about the entire situation, Wave himself saw this Ubiquitous's jovial persona to be as hollow than her original's own. Still, she was his teammate reborn, so he tried his best to ignore it.

"Hey, Seryu. Let's, um, stay focused and professional." Wave tried to mellow down Seryu's flair but failed as she retorted back at him.

"Jeez, why so glum? You should be happy, you can take Kurome to the upcoming ball...!" Wave instantly blushed crimson as he tried to quickly change the subject matter.

The conversation continued, Tatsumi didn't take part in it.

But Tatsumi couldn't stand this kind of conversation with one of his worse enemies, he just stayed quiet. He absolutely refused to fight alongside somebody whom repeatedly tried to murder him, his friends and most of all...

Mine.

It was largely hypocritical, but despite being one of the most skillful Assassins in the business... Least now that Night Raid were practically disbanded, he always saw himself as somebody who wanted to do good. In his eyes, Tatsumi saw her "Loyalty" to the Empire as merely using it as an sick outlet for her own twisted desires.

Tatsumi never used nor wanted to use Night Raid for that, it had all been selfless in his mind. Hell, he hadn't stopped trying to do good, as his Village thrived with his accomplishments.

But, all of that justification came to a dark cold dead end, when the justifications were thrown side-by-side with the undeniable fact that Tatsumi willingly sided with General Esdeath. The individual whom possessed an absolutely insatiable lust for practically all forms of violence imaginable, Tatsumi couldn't deny that Seryu's bloodlust was entirely eclipsed by Esdeath's own. He knew that even if Akame and Leone, came to understand his motivations for this. It was impossible for them to stay their hand, as to the rest of the remnant Revolutionary Army. He wasn't an heavy cover agent, but instead one highly loathed and hated turncoat.

What was worse, whenever Tatsumi looked into Makoto's eyes... He felt, blissfully _happy._

He hated that happiness, almost as much as he despised himself.

"So, they're moving past the decoys and unto the real hideouts, hm? General Esdeath's forces seem to be preparing to move out soon." Akame noted as she observed the map laid out across the table on her stool, it had several markings on it to signify for possible routes as Leone stood directly behind her position. Sighing heavily, she pressed her hands harder against the wood of the table's surface. They'd currently be staying inside one of the new safehouses constructed after Tatsumi's defection.

"We're stretched thin as it is, our spies cannot accurately predict nor nail down whatever information we need- Without gettin' one of their number sent to the Torture Chambers kickin' and screaming out loud." Leone groaned out, spinning around and parking her rear on the table with her tired head in her hands. Akame, shifted across the map and took to writing letters to the Revolutionary Army Leaders that hid in those same hideouts.

"It's true, isn't it...?" Akame spoke, so suddenly that Leone was caught off guard. The lioness sadly nodded.

"Yeah... It sucks doesn't it, that Tatsumi's all cosy in the Capital and we're stuck here." Leone whined, but she was being bitterly humorous as she could be.

"Not that, I've heard reports of another person that General Esdeath's taken in." Akame corrected her.

"What, huh? The Ice Bitch is getting more pets, so what? She should have stopped at Tatsumi, that's all she wanted, wasn't it?" It was fairly clear that Leone wasn't completely one hundred percent pleased with Tatsumi's actions, as she had harbored somewhat of an innocent crush on the younger boy but mainly tried to serve as a reliable source of comfort for him whilst in Night Raid. But all that was broken, when Tatsumi choose Esdeath's comfort for hers. Sure, Leone knew that execution was ascertain if Tatsumi had refused, but she never thought that he'd agree in the first place.

That fact was alot worse to swallow.

"..." Akame didn't respond at first, she quietly pulled herself from the chair and stopped writing at all. Walking away to her room, as she gripped Murasame tightly in her hands as she presented it's blade from the sheath to Leone.

"If we cross paths with Tatsumi, Leone. I'll be the one, I'll be one that kills him." Akame responded, entirely serious in her words. She had killed friends and loved ones before, whenever she crossed paths with Kurome. It was always with the intention to kill, she was raised to believe that. It was ironic, she had almost successfully killed Tatsumi at the first encounter that they shared.

Now it was Akame's intention to make it, their last.

Even if Akame's own heart throbbed in agony at the thought of it.

 **Surprise! Bet you weren't expecting this, were ya? Of course, I've been on hiatus for a ungodly long amount of time, and believe me. It's not been great to be unable to update this. Long story short, I've eliminated practically all factors that prevented me from being unable to write before. Aside from the usual writers block, but personal independence and ability are back in my control. I'll make updates to this chapter as per usual to fix spelling mistakes and other errors in the story, as I usually re-read my entire story to ensure that I don't accidentally screw up when writing new material.**

 **Provide reviews to show me what you think, and I hope you enjoy this slightly longer chapter to make up for the time that I've been away! Expect more soon! (Ok, I promise this time.)**


	15. Chapter 15 - Dangerous Danger Beast

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **Important info on the writers note, enjoy!**

"Guaaaaaaaaaaah! _Aah!_ " The horrible bloodcurdling screams of prolonged agony, filled the dark halls of the Torture Chambers. The mad Doctor Stylish currently at his work being left behind in the Palace, by now General Esdeath had already departed with the rest of the Jaegers.

Leaving Stylish alone, by himself to fill in Esdeath's role at his leisure.

Despite being professionally trained to heal the sick and grievously injured, that work quite well when applied in reverse, to horrific effect. Hippocratic Oath, you may say? The Oath that all Doctors must abide by, to do no harm and always try to mend the wounded, hm?

To Doctor Stylish, that pathetic "Feeble-minded" narrative stood in the way of progress. To be forever chained down, completely by the concept of mercy to the weak was unthinkable to Dr. Stylish whom craved for new exquisite designs and fabulous ideas. Stylish things, above all else.

"Oh! Come now, dear Sir~." Dr. Stylish quietly spoke accompanied with a playful wink filled with sadistic intent, eerily calm at the same time, to the justifiably terrified captured Revolutionary Army Commander. Alot of the crazed Doctor's face drawn in shadow by the dim candle lighting in the cell, as he stood looming over him. His grinning face partly concealed by his surgical operating mask. The Rebel currently stretched out across one worn down, blood-covered battered wooden table. Clearly becoming beaten by overuse, and dirty from the same reason.

"It was just one tiny nail, you see~? They grow back... Well, eventually." Dr. Stylish mused, visibly waving around the removed nail as it was still sickeningly connected to the metallic bloodied appliers used in it's removal. Blood dripping unto the floor from the ends of it.

"It's the limbs that you've got to be worried about, they _never_ grow back." The euphoric Doctor continued, as the man merely kept screaming loudly as he had been since the sudden removal.

"Quieten down, else I'll take them all from you. One at a time, then I'll slice your arm off for good measure."

" _Guaaaaah...!_ "

"I assure you, dearest! By the time I'm done with you, you'll have wished that General Esdeath hadn't put me incharge of this _wonderful_ healing home!" Being completely serious, by his tone and mannerisms. The Revolutionary Commander bit against his lower lip, causing blood but preventing his screams. As Stylish placed the appliers down unto the side of the table, albeit within' viewpoint to enforce his point.

"So! Hush, hush. I've got something you'd like to hear, my good man."

"...Kuk, you can't scare me, nor my friends... With mere words." The restrained Rebel stated weakly, trying to keep the remnants of his resolve in the clearly grim circumstances. Dr. Stylish however wasn't even phased by this, as expected by somebody of his self-importance.

"Oh, I think you'll think these words especially horrifying to imagine... As will the rest of your friends in the Revolutionary Army." Dr. Stylish darkly replied, completely lacking all of his previous overly dramatic flair to demonstrate his seriousness. Closely examining the various ominous torture instruments hung up loosely on the wooden racks against the stone wall. Used in all sorts of horrible ways, Dr. Stylish had used them so much that he had actually picked out favourite devices to use, much like Esdeath herself already had done herself.

"I've been awfully bored with our peaceful society, lately. Things simply aren't exciting enough for my tastes, nor stylish either for that matter! So I tried out playing God with various types of especially dangerous Danger Beasts in our glorious Empire, and I got completely hooked on it. You see, I've taken various defining traits of different Imperial Arms..."

"What are you... Blabber-" The confused, distressed and resentful Mercenary interjected.

 _Bad idea._

Only to receive one very notable threat against continued vocal disruption from the deranged scientist in the form of his face almost narrowly being greeted by an cork screw. Mere inches away from his violently shaking unfocused eyes. By it's scary impact on the blood-ridden table. The sheer tremendous force packed strongly behind it, provided it had landed in it's perceived original target would have undoubtedly pierced straight through his skull. Stylish desiring to show off as usual, pulled the corkscrew away from it's position on the pseudo operating table. Wearing Perfector, he immediately without any delay, took to violently stabbing several visible holes in several locations of importance to his victim, narrowly missing on purpose at every time.

First, his groin. Then, his left hand. The right hand. Lastly, face.

His captive soon resumed crying out in sheer terror as he previously had done with reluctance, delighting Stylish immensely in sick satisfaction.

To finish off and to completely relish all of his Rebel's panic, he threw the corkscrew straight down, precisely at the location of his heart. Stylish's own heart, skipping beats in his own excitement, then flipped around the corkscrew so only hard wood came against the man's rising chest. Causing him to splutter blood from his mouth, due to previous injuries and Stylish's insane abnormal physical strength.

"So that you are properly winded, I shall continue as planned~" Stylish chimed, clearly amused.

"Alot of the traits simply brought about simplistic creatures, making all of the hard tiresome effort to replicate them... Utterly WORTHLESS!" Throwing one hell of an fit in his reflection on his past shortcomings, Stylish swept all of the used torture tools on the table opposite to his prisoner directly unto the equally bloody floor with one strong sweep of his left hand. The floor itself already littered with various pieces of bone, teeth and other bodily discardings that Stylish didn't deem to be interesting to study from his previous victims.

"Until I discovered this one..." By now, Stylish's tone completely changed from frustrated to blissfully happy, demonstrating to his captive pretty clearly that Stylish wasn't completely sane, nor sane at all.

If he hadn't already, that is.

"...Spectator." The battered Revolutionary Army Commander's eyes widened notably, in distinct horror as the realization of Stylish's intents became full circle to him. He felt even worse, as he had been apart of the armed troop carried with guarding it against the Empire's relentless attempts to secure it back after Night Raid's defeat of Zanku.

As they already had plenty of the Teigu's back since the Revolutionary Army became unable to defend them properly as they waited to assign capable users for them. General Morgana herself had been responsible for the capture, thus allowed Stylish to examine it... Until she took it for herself as she had acted without the use of an Teigu before now. Relying solely on her individual talents, and skill with espionage and information control.

In many ways, Spectator was perfect for her.

"No... That's ins-" He gasped loudly, trying to block the thoughts that his failure to protect Spectator had doomed thousand, potentially million lives to agonizing experiences worse than death itself.

"Impressive, you say? D'awww, you'll make me blush~!" Stylish leaned closer against the Torture Bench, falsely swooning at him as he continued with his explanation.

"Imagine it, one incredibly dangerous but most importantly Stylish creature...! That's capable of transformation into _anyone_ that it's foe holds close to them by telepathy, as we're even throwing aside hallucinations for full blown transmogrification, baby!" The Scientist announced jovially.

"Why target us, huh? Doesn't it make more sense to-" He choked, being cut off again by Stylish.

"Because you'll make the absolutely perfect subjects for scientific observation... Entertainment, too. But if you were going to say target that arrogant little whine that sits beside General Esdeath, then you'd be correct."

"I assure you, I have no intention for the Revolutionary Army to be owing me any special favours but I have several broken bones to pick with him." Dr. Stylish noted, oddly calmly all things considered.

"Then, why..."

"Because once he's completely out of the picture!~ General Esdeath will be exceedingly more welcoming to my specific expertise as torment eventually begets torment in return." Laughing madly, Stylish would appear to be awfully pleased with his ploy.

"You're both screwed up, beyond all help. You _Psychopaths_... Just kill me, do it." Throwing his head back against the wood, he seemingly had accepted his fate to grimly die in the Torture Chambers of the Imperial Palace, that is. If Stylish hadn't already had vastly different plans for the man himself.

"Oh, you won't be able to say anything about us in that nasty regard once I'm done with you, Mister! You see, I require Humanoid Danger-Beast types to properly apply the effects of Spectator." Looming increasingly closer to him, Stylish removed his facial covering to reveal his eerie smile.

"So, would you like to volunteer~?" The look of overwhelming terror in his captive's watering eyes were enough to sate Stylish's lust for depraved torture play, for days on end.

As it appeared, Dr. Stylish wasn't the only major player in the Empire, currently making his own moves and planning ahead. The incredibly devious figurehead in question, was none other than Prime Minister Honest whom perhaps was the most skilled at manipulating the various players on the scene.

Everyone in the Empire was at his mercy, aside from General Esdeath whom Honest had to greatly humble himself before. Even with Erastone, his Teigu in the form of his crown, being capable of destroying one's Teigu completely and doing so again, after one total week. He wasn't so foolish to believe that destroying Esdeath's Teigu would completely rid himself of having to obey her whims, as she possessed incredible strength that vastly overwhelmed his own.

Besides, Honest wouldn't gain anything from removing his strongest ally from her place at his side. What deeply troubled him, was the presence of the young boy that she had taken in. Makoto, everything down to his appearance struck chords in him. It was if he was looking straight at the physical embodiment of Esdeath's potential and skill, so very young and loads of chance to sway him to his side.

That is, if Makoto didn't look strikingly like that swine Tatsumi either.

"Your tea, Prime Minister." Suzuka announced her return, arriving at the Minister's side to present the freshly brewed tea that she had made on his instructions.

"Ah, why thank you." Honest replied, his eyes scanned over Suzuka's appearance as he sat near the table covered with Military Reports. A few bandages remained on her person, less than last time. All of Wild Hunt had been utterly wiped out, aside her by Night Raid. To reward her loyalty, Honest had kept her in his employ and allowed her to reside at the Palace.

"Great General Budo has made notable strides in his plan to move ahead against you, Honest. I estimate that he'll be ready to strike within' a single day."

"Oh, really now? Well, it was to happen eventually! The ol' fool is strung tighter than execution rope around a Rebel's throat, I'll say." Honest replied with vigor as despite the grave news, he had already planned for the eventuality as Budo always made ensure Honest knew of the Great General's distaste for him and his corrupt ways.

"You aren't concerned, Minister?" Suzuka replied, to which Honest then replied. "Why should I be? Budo should have left the scheming to the Master! I will merely recall General Esdeath and her Jaeger troop, then along with the rest of the Generals present..."

"Budo will be history." Prime Minister Honest grinned widely, his reliance on General Esdeath's might clearly demonstrated.

Suzuka frowned, as she explained. "Budo has already obtained the backing of least two Generals in our military, their respective forces and individual players aswell. But I advocate for calling Esdeath, I yearn for the chance to get closer to her again." Honest was taking one large sip from his cup, which then landed all over the papers as it was violently spat out at the revelation.

"Call- Call General Esdeath immediately, I want Imperial Couriers with letters for her recall written now! We mustn't delay, if Budo manages to sway enough of our forces then we'll be done for." Honest swiftly took to devouring more food, in his stressful state. Crunching it together with his teeth, and pulling on steak with his hands.

"It will be done." Suzuka replied, her excitement barely hidden in her expression. The complete opposite of Honest's state currently.

"I will pull the Emperor from his studies, and remain in the secret passageways of the Palace until I've received the all clear." Honest swiftly explained, as he lifted himself from the large chair. "If Budo succeeds, then everything that I've put into place will fall apart. I won't allow myself to fail, when I hold all the winning cards."

Sliding himself against one of the nearby walls of the large office, Honest unlocked the foretold secret passageway that allowed him to sink from the room as if he hadn't been present. Closing it behind himself as he and Suzuka shared one last meaningful gaze.

" _Haaaaaaah!_ Bullseye!" Tatsumi cried out, having tossed Neuntote straight into the opposing group of Bandit's direction from a upward angle. Sweeping them all from their feet by the explosive impact, and impaling the one right at the center. Wave immediately followed up by impaling the rest with his own bladed weapon, his spear whilst wearing Grand Chariot as his voice echoed. "Excellent shot, Tatsumi...! How'd I do?"

"A solid six out of ten, Wave. But you've earned a A for effort." Tatsumi laughed. Wave scoffed back, as the remaining Bandits tried to blow Tatsumi straight out of the sky with musket fire, Incursio completely rendering all offensive ranged assault completely moot with it's enhanced armor.

Instead of Revolutionary Army members, Bandits were stationed at the location they had traveled to. So, it meant that Tatsumi had no reason not to enjoy himself in the fight. The grassy plains were the battlefield, the Jaegers had been separated into two groups of three. Tatsumi, Wave and Seryu were paired up with Esdeath characteristically looking after Makoto accompanied by Kurome.

"Hey, don't you dare kill all of these bandits! Lemme at em'!" Seryu ran across the body littered field to Tatsumi and Wave's location ahead, as the Bandit death toll centered double digits as she extended her left arm. The arm instantly split itself apart and then reformed itself back together into a Machine Gun, which laid waste to several approaching Bandits that tried to raise shields. Keyword, tried. As the vastly superior firearm mowed them all down.

"Uggh, this is so frustrating...! If I had Koro with me, I could've blown them all to bits with missile barrages!" Seryu vented her anguish at the recently deceased bandit corpses, as she violently kicked them with her boot. Without Hekatonkheires, or Koro... Seryu wasn't able to carry all of her armaments into battle, so she was restricted from using the _The Judgement of the Ten Heavenly Kings_ on the fly, as her original had done against Night Raid.

She was still vastly dangerous, but limited in her destructive force.

"Take no prisoners, kill them all...!" The Bandit Leader cried out, clearly trying to keep his composure as his subordinate replied, his tone less firm. "But, we're practically wiped out! The other Outpost's already been reduced to smoldering ash!"

As Tatsumi closed in, making powerful explosive strides across the battered landscape towards them, Wave in hot pursuit behind him. The Bandit Leader finally lost his composure as he screamed loudly, so loud that lingering Bandit forces in their base behind him were able to acknowledge his words.

"Release it...! Release the Death Tagoooool...! _Do it noooooow!_ "

"Uh oh... This can't be good." Tatsumi immediately stopped his forward motions, his feet visibly grinding against the floor as his frantic acceleration was halted. Wave, practically gliding across the floor at this point was also forced to break harshly, he landed few feet away from Tatsumi as they prepared for one hell of an fight.

"Death Tagool, isn't that the Danger Beast Kurome used in the Cany-" Wave noted, as he brought himself to his feet. Glancing to the armored Tatsumi.

"Yeah, yeah. Get ready." Tatsumi cut him off as he adopted his fighting stance, Incursio reacted to it's wielder's emotions was released a explosive surge of power in Tatsumi's body as the strain drove painful chords in his body. Wave noted Tatsumi's sudden increase of power as he soon prepared himself aswell.

"Grrrooooogh!" The released Death Tagool drove it's large through the equally large doors of the Bandit Fortress, fixed to the mountain, akin to Night Raid's old base. The creature had visible scars, wounds and countless leather binds around it. Afterall, it was an S-Class Danger Beast. It's rarity alone made it's skin incredibly valuable, which is likely why the Bandits had it captured in the first place.

"Huh, I don't get it! How can these filthy goons capture, such a wonderful magnificent creature when they drop like flies to us!" Seryu spoke out, greatly confused as she caught up with her comrades.

Wave and Tatsumi kept quiet, trying not to lose focus. The Danger Beast swiped it's claws, left and right to ward off it's captors remnants as they scattered away from it. Using it's presence as the distraction to flee, Seryu however drove into her trouser pockets, taking a suitable sniper scope from them. Attaching it to her arm, she fired as many shots as she needed to kill the fleeing bandits.

"Justice prevails, evil may run but it cannot hide from me! I loathe cowards!" Seryu laughed madly at her success, not noticing as the two had that they're real threat was currently charging up, what appeared to be it's mouth energy beam.

"Get down, idiot! It'll kill us all...!" Wave shouted, grabbing ahold of Seryu as she struggled by instinct. Only to stop as she noticed the glowing presence in the Death Tagool's mouth as it stood upright. Glaring straight at the three, Tatsumi using his invisibility trump card, vanished from sight and began to move closer. Leaving Wave to leap skyward, in hopes they both could avoid the oncoming destructive blast.

"As soon as the Danger Beast fires it's payload, Esdeath will come running as she usually does. Just gotta survive until then." Tatsumi thought, moving meters ahead then stopping still to avoid detection. Keeping this up, several times. Unaware of something in particular that would seal his doom.

Wave keeping himself airborne, tried to find Tatsumi but couldn't. Only faintly sensing him, whenever he began moving ahead. It was then, the Death Tagool began to prepare to release it's mouth cannon's charge. It seemingly had decided that if he didn't aim at such an small target as Wave, then it'd lay waste to all the terrain on the ground to prevent it's prey from gaining the advantage over it.

"That's it, lead her straight to us! You big dumb beast..!" Tatsumi mentally cried out, letting go of his invisible form to leap straight at the Beast's head with Neuntote back in his hands. Unfortunately, Tatsumi had forgotten one certain aspect about the creature's anatomy.

It possessed _excellent_ sense of smell.

It's eyes had been observing Tatsumi as he quietly spoke in response to his realization. "Goddammit..."

"Tatsumi... Noo!" Wave cried out, descending down to the floor but it was too late now. The Death Tagool instantly turned it's head straight at Tatsumi's oncoming position as it released all of it's collected power into the boy's shielded body. If it wasn't for Incursio's protection, Tatsumi surely would have been utterly vaporized by it's energy wave as it still tore massively through his armored state. As the beam overcame Tatsumi's body, striking into the ground behind him as Tatsumi was soon flung into it. The resulting crater reduced practically all of the grassy field's greenery into rock within' fifty five meters of it's blast.

Laying center in the crater that followed, Tatsumi barely able to register what parts of his body still worked, tried to lift himself up from his rock tomb.

"Leave him alone, lizard-breath!" Wave used the creature's attention on Tatsumi to try and subvert it, hoping to draw it away from him by repeatedly striking the Danger Beast's legs with his empowered fists as Seryu stood by. Doing absolutely nothing whatsoever. Merely waiting.

Waiting for Tatsumi's blameless death.

Noticing the fists at it's legs, the Death Tagool's tail swiped repeatedly at Wave. Whom avoided it, by leaping up to then strike back with flying kicks.

Tasting the blood in his mouth, his cracked battered armor being dug into his body, Tatsumi lifted his torso upwards as he sat up in the crater. Motivating himself by trying to repeat words of encouragement. "Come on, man. It's just a lizard... A very very pissed off one, at that."

"Yeah, it is. Let's wreck it's shit..." Tatsumi was forced straight back into the dirt that he had risen from, by it's stamping foot. Digging the crater deeper into the ground, with Tatsumi still at it's center. Laying back down, struggling to lift the creature from him. He drew sighs of pained relief as it lifted on it's own, Tatsumi covering his eyes from the sunlight's glare, only to notice shadow being brought back down on him. Raising his hands to prevent it, he failed to stop another stomp on his body.

"Didn't you hear me, ugly?! I said... _Leave him the hell alone!"_ Wave's enraged enforced strikes actually managed to dent the beast's hide now, whom was forced to bring it's powerful stomping foot from Tatsumi's body to readjust it's position as the tail swipes came increasingly hard to avoid. It arrogantly tried to throw one final stomp down, knowing that at this rate, it's cornered prey was prime to crumble with one last throw down. As it came down hard, it was caught by surprise when...

It was _caught._ This strike was vastly more powerful than the last, so it's simple bestial mind couldn't comprehend, why it hadn't worked.

"So, all of my ribs may be broken... Correction. They- Ugh, are." Tatsumi's extended hands holding the beast back, tossed off it's foot as he leapt from the crater. Wave noticed that Tatsumi's armor was beginning to look vastly different, and not just because of the plentiful amounts of his friend's blood that painted it, it was more feral than it's formerly refined look. Tatsumi stared down the creature.

"But, regardless... Of how many bones you fracture, break... _I'll always come back for more!_ " With insane amounts of fighting spirit, Tatsumi very visibly launched himself from the ground straight into the air as the Death Tagool began to quickly recharge it's energy cannon in one vain attempt to finish him off. Greatly annoyed by his persistence and refusal to die.

"How can he be..." Wave quietly said. Fully aware that Tatsumi was practically jelly behind the armor.

"Unnnnngh!" Tatsumi cried out in agony as mere movements caused painful sensations in his body to light up, as his fist positioned itself infront of him to pierce the creature's heart. But then, his barely open eyes perceived, as did Wave and Seryu. A blindingly fast crystallization of the Death Tagool, as it thrashed to avoid being consumed by the horribly cold ice.

"Thanks for the assist, now die!" The flying determined Tatsumi flew straight into the chest, and right out of the back. His enforced impact, shattered the S-Class Danger Beast into millions of tiny shards upon seconds of the impact being made. Incursio's armored state vanished from his body, as the sealed sword fell into the ground faster than Tatsumi to pierce itself into the rocky floor. Suspended in the air as he began to descend himself, Tatsumi quietly laughed in satisfaction at his victory while falling down increasingly fast.

"I... Win, lizard-breath. Score one for... Tatsumi." Despite the eventual fatal impact of the ground, surely sealing his death. He was strangely satisfied with that, not currently thinking on his mission. Just the victory of battle, and overcoming one vastly superior foe on his own. Losing all consciousness as General Esdeath caught him in her gentle arms, as they both fell.

It was today, Tatsumi began to understand Esdeath's love for excursions beyond the Capital. Even at the cost of his body's mobility, at least.

 **What's this, huh?! Another chapter released, at four thousand word count, within' the same practical time span as the previous chapter! With fighting involved? Man, I do spoil you guys. I jest, I wanted to release this chapter now because I've got some very important news for you all.**

 **I have a Discord Server now, it's dedicated towards my writing and it's open to all of you guys. It'll let me interact with my beloved fans easier and more personally, I'm planning to run polls on it so I can let you guys decide what you want when it comes to outcomes in my stories.**

 **As always, rate and review at your leisure and the Discord Link will be on my profile! Updates will be had to correct errors, etc.**


	16. Chapter 16 - Pierce the Heart

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

It had been two hours, forty five minutes and twelve seconds in total since Tatsumi's literal narrow crushing victory against the S-Class Danger Beast.

Tatsumi himself having fallen into a comatose state, alive but unresponsive, from his extensive internal injuries along with the head trauma inflicted by the bashing of his skull against the ground. If his bones weren't broken, they were fractured enough to be considered broken.

Esdeath's Imperial forces were almost finished loading all of the items of value belonging to the eradicated Bandits into their respective military transports, not to mention any of the defeated bandits unfortunate enough to be taken alive.

Overall, it was been eerily quiet in the fields, all things considered. No thanks to the intense oppressive aura that was practically flowing out from General Esdeath's body without pause, nobody needed to ask why that was.

They all saw clearly enough to know that she wasn't in the mood to be disturbed by petty remarks, even the captives themselves stayed quiet, simply sobbing alone as they knew the stories about the General.

Wave, whom had been standing directly across from Esdeath, finally spoke words, since for what seemed like forever to him.

"...We're we supposed to have been up against Bandits, Commander?" He asked sheepishly, currently being flanked by forward marching infantrymen from Esdeath's present Battalion that were escorting the field medical professionals from the same detachment to the transports, the ones that had attended to Tatsumi. He had suspected it was odd, as they were expecting members of the Revolutionary Army to be at the given location. But, of course, Wave wasn't privy to the finer details of the excursion mission that his General was.

She shook her head without any hesitation, she knew what was up and she didn't like it at all.

"No, our elimination targets was solely remnant members of the Revolutionary Army suspect of hiding in the area. We were tricked, Wave. _Tatsumi_ was tricked." General Esdeath strongly replied, extreme bitterness in her driven words. She was holding Tatsumi in her arms tightly, gently stroking him now and then as her intense grip made several notable creases in his worn attire, that was unmistakably dirtied by the tremendous damage inflicted on his body. Tatsumi was also wrapped in medical bandages to stem the blood, primarily around his torso, and his head. His arms were locked in place with wooden restraints, fitted with bolts that compressed his arms in whatever position required to avoid movement and prevent further injury.

Wave's worried eyes glanced at Tatsumi's broken body in his Commander's caring arms, as his chest throbbed in immense guilt. "You did what you could, Wave. That's all I require from you, I do not expect feats beyond what you can muster." Esdeath having suspected his guilt, replied as she did not blame Wave for Tatsumi's condition, nor Seryu whom stood idly by as if wanting Tatsumi to die, which she did. She vowed that whomever had led them astray, would pay for the damage inflicted on her property.

The Death Tagool was an S-Class Danger Beast, incredibly dangerous and even General Esdeath acknowledged that fact, even if it posed no immediate threat to her overwhelming might. She knew that it's purpose was to pick off some of her Jaegers, and distract her.

But, from what was the question.

"It's obvious that these Bandits were Danger Beast hunters by trade, they contracted help from the outside and captured it." General Esdeath explained by her own logical reasoning, as her forces begun preparing to return back at the Capital. They were equip for several more days in the wilderness, but due to Tatsumi's grievous injuries, staying in the outskirts of the Capital meant Tatsumi's vulnerable body would be at risk from infection. So naturally, Esdeath called everything off for her lover's sake.

"I've returned, Mother. Everything in the Bandit headquarters, has been reduced to ash. Everything of value has been looted, stripped away and taken by your legion." Makoto whom appeared from the sidelines before placing himself in between Esdeath and Wave, announced with a notable powerful echo. His voice, filled with intense but unexpressed hate. Clearly feeling mutual in regards to Esdeath's own on the current affair. To Wave's continued surprise, Incursio was activated on Makoto's body.

"Excellent job, I personally detained some of the surviving Bandits. So that they may sing sweet melodies for me, in the torture chambers." Esdeath replied back, clearly desiring to reignite her passion for torture. Since it had grown dull since Makoto's arrival, she had been busy because of that, but as Tatsumi's state was brought to the brink by the bandit scum they had fought against. To say the least, it was burning brightly as it ever had before.

Wave shuddered from instinct at his commanding General's foreboding yet very real words, as he held Grand Chariot firmly in his hand to relieve his nerves. Observing the sealed sword form of Incursio wrapped around General Esdeath's waist, Tatsumi's Incursio.

Not the one currently wrapped around Makoto's body as living armor.

The mysterious youth's formerly small height now matched his own moderately taller height, with Incursio's appearance being strikingly different than both Bulat and Tatsumi's own. Incursio's helmet was fitted with three upward angular spikes created from ice, resembling something akin to an small crown. The same for his armored torso, being fitted with protective ice that melded with the rest of the armor and his shoulders being laden with outward pointed ice for quite a imposing appearance, resembling pauldrons. Along with this, Incursio lacked all of the crimson markings that were present on Bulat's version, instead being light blue in coloration.

"Our next immediate destination is the Capital, we'll end this excursion of ours early." Esdeath noted, adjusting her arms abit to press Tatsumi further against her welcoming soft chest, gazing to the sky above. "I'll admit, it's awfully unfortunate that we've been forced to recall again..." Wave added, referencing the incident with General Agotian, as Tatsumi sustained pretty bad injuries back then because of the misunderstanding of his allegiance.

To Wave, it seemed like the world itself had something against Tatsumi.

"It cannot be helped, Wave. Even if Tatsumi hadn't been so horribly injured, we'd be returning regardless." Determined to discover the truth of this, Esdeath made her thoughts known to the rest of her loyal followers as she spotted what seemed to be an Imperial Courier sprinting towards them. She already knew that he wasn't apart of her own legion, as she had made excessive note to keep everyone that served her under restrict training regiments and the Imperial Courier clearly seemed winded upon reaching her position from being out of shape.

"Ge- General Esdeath! I bring... News-" He huffed, clutching his chest tightly whilst practically shoving the written sealed letter infront of himself to pass it on.

Esdeath took it strongly, without any reservation as she dismissed the Courier with one flick of her hand. The simple flick, containing enough force to blow the man from his feet and straight unto the grass floor below as he was helplessly blown from his feet. A side effect of her currently flaring emotions as she read the letter's contents, confirming her original suspicions in full.

"Tch..."

It only took five seconds upon reading the letter for her to respond to it, wordlessly that is. Makoto then stepped closer to see it for himself before getting blown back several dozen centimeters back himself along with Wave by the explosive result of the Ice Queen's increasing rising levels of anger as the comatose Tatsumi was forced to groan out, unconsciously. Noticing this, all violent notions halted in Esdeath whom took to stroking Tatsumi's sullen face apologetically.

The letter of plead by Honest abandoned to the cold floor.

"We are leaving, immediately. Anyone that is not ready to depart, is to be left behind to their fate in the wilderness." Marching away, Wave and Makoto closely followed them. Kurome and Seryu concluded their innocent eavesdropping on the three, to join up with them. "Say, say. What's the rush, Commander?" Seryu politely asked, as she stood beside her leader with worshiping eyes.

"Great General Budo is currently amassing powerful sympathetic ears in the Capital, he plots to overthrow and replace the Imperial Leadership with his own." Esdeath quietly replied, uncharacteristic as it was. It wasn't that she cared for the politicians that ran the Empire, they served a purpose and aided in her ways but that was really all.

It was that Budo had intentionally dragged Tatsumi, Makoto and her chances at blissful happiness with them through bushes of razor sharp thorn.

"That's impossible, isn't it? Why would Budo try something like that." Wave remarked, clearly disillusioned with Budo's aims as he clearly admired the man greatly as they were incredibly like minded. Both striving the betterment of the Empire, even if Wave served General Esdeath. Tatsumi himself originally sought to ally himself with Budo, but gave up as he realized the Great General wouldn't tolerate working together with somebody whom previously tried to destroy the Empire that he loved so much.

"Frankly, I couldn't care less about whatever he hopes to achieve. That part is meaningless to me, but I was given strict instructions to arrive here by that man... That dead man, so you see. I will do whatever I can to prolong whatever grim fate awaits him at my hand. " Upon concluding her passionate vow. The Ice Queen leapt from the ground powerfully, and straight ahead of the convoy of her forces. The Ice Prince immediately following her lead, having awaited her movements for a while.

Leaving Wave, Kurome and Seryu alone together as the odd one out. Filled the silence with conversation again. "To think, we'd eventually cross blades with Great General Budo... I'll admit, I'm abit taken back by it." Seryu noted disheartened. Since for once, she couldn't justify that Budo had turned against the Empire or acted treasonous without the evidence being infront of her face.

"Whoever it is, if they cross us. I'll just add them to my collection..." Kurome's tone was devoid of emotion as usual, but Wave could sense the meaning behind it. He placed a comforting hand on Kurome's shoulder that she secretly welcomed by not moving away from him.

Another hour ahead, Mother and Son sat quiet together.

"Makoto, dear. You can seal Incursio now, it's usefulness has ended." Riding together inside a Military carriage, it was true that Makoto still hadn't removed Incursio from his body, despite the notable physical strain that prolonged use caused on him. They were currently sat opposite each other as Tatsumi's sleeping head was laying on Esdeath's thighs, using them as pillows with the rest of his eerily motionless body laid out across the rest of the seats.

"I don't..." Makoto tried to plead, unknown to his mother whom pressed further. He wasn't keeping the armor on him, for practical combative purposes.

"I want to see you eyes, darling. Your father's won't open, so yours will need to do." She leaned abit closer to him, as he could tell that she was very on edge. Realizing that eventually, she would have found out anyway. Incursio faded from his body, as it's sword form laid against the floor upon it's removal.

In the thick clouds that heralded it's disappearance, Esdeath's eyes widened notably as she discovered the real reasoning behind her child's reluctance to remove Incursio from his body, it wasn't ignorance nor paranoia. It was the fact her eyes couldn't visualize all of her son's left arm, as it was completely absent from his body. But at the same time, it wasn't cut from his body. It had faded entirely from reality.

The sleeves of his coat still acted as if it was present, as if it was merely playing hide and seek. "It doesn't hurt... I just don't feel _real_ anymore." Makoto quietly stated whilst looking away in shame, sadness in his emerald eyes. It was more than Esdeath could stand, she didn't understand all of it. But she knew that her child's pain was because of his father's own.

"Honey, listen to your Mother."

"I-" She cut him off instantly, snapping her fingers to enforce eye contact between them.

"I will fix this, all of it. Just watch me. I won't allow you, nor your father. To suffer needlessly." She affirmed, sharing his mother's determination in resolving the current events. Makoto glanced towards his father's fallen state as he could feel his slowed heartbeats, trying to envision his own future if he had been apart of it instead of being absent. Focusing on that aspect, allowed for sensation to return back in his left arm that then returned back into reality as it phased back from invisibility.

"You forget, Mom. In the end, I am you and him. So I won't back down, we'll take Budo together." Being incredibly protective as she was, Esdeath had clear reservations about her son's powerful words. She had already almost lost Tatsumi today to the Great General's trap, she didn't want to almost lose another loved one. Especially when Tatsumi and Makoto were quite literally, the only people she had the capacity to love in the whole wide world. If she lost them, she would lose the ability to feel love.

No question about that.

"We'll discuss that matter later on, sweetie. Get some sleep, we've got some way to go before we reach the Capital." Gently smiling at him, Makoto withdrew and nodded as he laid back against the seats. Closing his eyes, Esdeath's smile suddenly died as she glanced towards Tatsumi.

Elsewhere, at the Capital. In the Imperial Palace, inside one of it's many Military Halls. Budo reserving it for himself and his allies.

"General Agotian, I trust you were successful in aiding the enlisted Bandits." The Great General beckoned to his lesser subordinate General, whom nodded in confirmation at his superior's question. "Yes, indeed. I delivered the captured Death Tagool to them personally, so that they may properly prove a challenge to General Esdeath's forces." Stroking his thick moustache, Agotian stood proudly in the Military Hall, holding his staff-like Mace Teigu in his hands to support him.

The Teigu in question, "Quod Lux." appeared as an heavily stylized Staff that could shift between hand-held chained Mace, capable of delivering tremendous amounts of damage or simply serving as a adornment ontop of the Staff itself. It's true powers were vastly different, capable of summoning visible chains of light able to bind and strangle whatever target it's Master desired. Since these chains had no physical properties, they couldn't be physically removed by normal means. Only if it's victim were somehow able to muster the strength to resist them, and attack it's wielder could be they be freed from it's binds. The trump card, had already be used against Tatsumi. Using the full power of Quod Lux and the burning rage of it's user. Wielders were able to entrap their foes into domes from it's power completely cutting them from the outside world.

"Very good, that should buy us time for the main event. We'll enlist more sympathetic allies to our course, find the traitorous Prime Minister and have him tried for treason once we announce Martial Law." Budo continued, determination in his steely eyes, as General Morgana stood leaning against the Council table of the large hall. "We don't have time, Great General." She interjected, leaving the Great General confused.

General Agotian was already heading to the exit by now, as he halted at Morgana's words.

"Explain, General Morgana." Budo sharply countered, slightly on edge now.

"The Ex-Night Raid Assassin's done away with your little diversion, almost singlehandedly... Might I add." She lifted herself from her place, adjusting her hat and straightening her tie properly. "Sure, he won't be partaking in any physical activities anytime soon... But the Jaegers remain at full strength, no casualties."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe it, Great General. My informants amongst them, confirmed it about one hour ago." Considering General Morgana's past as an operative of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, Budo was eventually forced to believe her words as truth. Out of habit, Morgana lifted her hat upwards abit to reveal Spectator's eye underneath it. "Fine, then we must make haste. Prepare yourselves and your forces for conflict with Great Esdeath and her own rabble." Announcing with narrowed eyes, Adramelech gave off sparks from Budo's empowered gauntlets, as he himself drew one heavy breath.

"Esdeath, by the Emperor... Has it really come to this?" Agotian huffed, quietly.

Due to his lingering Post Traumatic Stress attained from his years of dealing with Esdeath's sadism, Agotian needed to sit himself down as he took in the entire situation and it's magnitude. He had hoped his work with the bandits would have dealt with the Jaegers, least crippling the bulk of Esdeath's strength enough for them to overwhelm her with their superior numbers. But, no. The Night Raid scum that was directly responsible for the loss of his limbs, had ruined all that with his refusal to go along with his plans.

Due to their small military numbers, having only taken handfuls of her best soldiers for the excursion. General Esdeath arrived at the Capital, on time. As expected, as soon as her carriage drew past the main gates of the Capital. Past the fields of crosses, that held those that opposed the Empire. Both members of the Ice Royalty, leapt from the center carriage and unto the nearest building together. Makoto wielding Incursio, around his body. Esdeath held Tatsumi close, beginning to dash across the buildings towards the Palace and upon reaching appropriate speed, leapt further skyward as Makoto launched himself straight after her to take ahold of her nearest foot. Manipulating ice around her wrists and ankles, Esdeath began ascending straight to the Palace through the air as Makoto held tightly unto, as they were now several heights from the ground below.

As previously commanded, her forces kept moving straight to the Capital as she carved her own way over.

"Well, that's one way to get somewhere fast." Wave mentioned, stepping from the Jaeger Carriage with Seryu and Kurome. "Yeah, but we're also in quite the hurry too." Seryu added, checking herself over to ensure she was prepared for battle, weapon wise.

"I have a idea..." Kurome took out Yatsufusa, preparing to activate it's trademark ability as Wave looked on, horrified. "Kurome, no!"

It was too late for Wave to stop Kurome's actions, Esdeath's infantry had already moved ahead. They could only look behind them, to witness the destructive radiant vile darkness violently tearing itself into the surrounding homes, roads and streets. Causing all kinds of devastation. Rising from the blade, Ran of the Jaegers could be seen. A bleak shadow of his former noble self. The once pure angelic figure, blackened by his post-mortem fatal injuries and the gruesome effects of Yatsufusa. Ran with no choice, was forced to obey Kurome's whims. Using his Teigu Mastema, he swept Wave and Kurome from the ground below with his arms and straight after Esdeath's flight path.

Leaving poor Ubiquitous in the literal dust, with no outlet for her bloodlust. "Hey, wait up! Least take me too, guys!"

Way ahead of Wave and Kurome, Esdeath lined herself to the location of her private quarters. Fully able to visualize exactly where it was, even whilst soaring straight through the air at blinding speeds. Aiming for the nearest double set of windows, she glanced down to Makoto whom still hung unto her. "Ready, dear?"

"All I need is somewhere to land." Fully focused on the mission. e prepared himself appropriately as General Esdeath drew her leg that held him backwards, letting it loose back to propel him straight into the lower floors of the Capital. Using Incursio's armor as an powerful battering ram. Incursio was largely successful at breaking through, as shards of glass and enforced stone were swept everywhere.

Voices of alarm were heard by the Ice Prince, as the dust cleared. "Get him, it's the Assassin! Open fire, aim for his legs!" Before him, stood three of the Great General's men, all aiming at him with raised specially designed rifles. Clearly mistaking him for his father.

Budo's men had successfully secured the lower areas of the Palace to the entrance, cutting off all viable escape to entrap the Minister and his political allies hiding in the Palace. Blindly firing at Makoto's armored body, using the energy weapons that Stylish had begun developing for the Imperial Army. They were powerful, but against the Demon Armor Incursio, they were largely ineffective. Bouncing from his terrifying durable armor to the walls around them, causing even more dust to cover their target.

Frantic screams of surprise were all that came, as Makoto's crystalline fist came hurling blindingly fast out from the confusion they caused. Landing right against the middle soldier's unshield nose, breaking it in several places as well as leaving it crooked before sending him flying down the hallway to be impaled upon Antlers that belonged to one of General Agotian's Danger Beast trophy's fixed on the wall.

As the two that remained, tried to retreat backwards for more ground as they weren't prepared for close quarters combat with the vastly superior foe. Makoto swiftly dove to the floor as he unconsciously borrowed one of his father's signature moves, by spinning his legs right around to strike at their own to sweep them away whilst using his hands as the support beam.

"Kuk- Aah! ...This is insane, we aren't paid enough for this!" One yelled, having landed against the floor on his back. "...Screw this, I ain't dying here! I've got a family!" The second spun himself around, lifting himself up to dash away. Heartlessly leaving his comrade to die.

"Hel... Help me..." The impaled Captain tried to plead for salvation, unable to freed himself from the ornament as it had unknowingly pierced several vital organs of his. Embracing his inner sadism, Makoto callously stepped over the leftover soldier's body, using his part of the Demon Extract to adorn his boots complete with spikes of crystalline ice. Letting him bleed out, as the man helplessly yelled in agony, trying to stop the boy from walking over him.

"The lives of your family, are no concern of mine." Raising his hand to the last one left, Makoto instantly stuck him to the ground with Ice, as it began traveling upwards to his waist. The harrowing cold, causing immense pain as it froze each and every blood vessel along with every nerve solid.

"I only cherish my own, your commander will pay with his life for his misdeeds against them." Menacingly walking to him, rolling his shoulders, completely ignoring the terrified soldier's pleads for mercy.

"Mercy, please! I was just following orders, I'm at the mercy of the higher ups! I'm just a pawn in this, like you!"

"That's where you are... MISTAKEN!" The Ice Prince instantly froze the man's skull solid as he had grown especially tired of his misguided words, letting his facial features forever be locked in the state of horror. Only to be decapitated cleanly, by the Prince's sweeping upward roundhouse kick that blew the head straight into the chest of the, now deceased, impaled Captain whom hung as his own decoration.

"To confuse with me, with your kind... Is beyond any amount of forgiveness, that I can muster." Releasing Incursio from his body, then catching it straight away. Makoto closed his eyes slowly, breathing slowly and deeply, while focusing immensely on tapping into every last drop of his blood that came from his mother. The loose walls around him, right down to the battered floor began to radiate with ice. The symbol of the Ice Demon, proudly presented on his upper chest, revealed itself by the fabric tearing apart Makoto's shirt enough to show it off.

"I am no mere pawn." He muttered with growing excitement, as even the strands of his hair began obeying his demand for even more power. Rising upward, resembling actual icicles now. Satisfied with his level of control, he relented and halted. Unlike Esdeath, whom easily tapped into the power of the Demon's Extract, Makoto could only properly use it as she could, when focusing on the parts of himself that she created.

"Soon, even Great General Budo will be forced to acknowledge that, then the rest will follow." Knowing by now, that his mother would have hid Tatsumi away safety in her quarters. Makoto turned away from the nightmarish scene, he had directly caused and began heading in the direction of the Military Wing in the Imperial Palace to reunite with her.

His attentive eyes observed Wave and Kurome, being held by somebody he didn't recognize moving towards the Palace, from one of the many windows to the side. "Right on cue... Surround the Palace, go for the kill. That's what she said, and that's what we'll do." Makoto's faith in his mother's plan, seemed to be paying off as he witnessed it unfold before his emerald eyes.

"Hey, Kurome... Isn't this, abit too high?" Wave asked, trying to avoid screaming loudly as even if he didn't possess the fear of heights. Being more fond of the sea, he couldn't deny that he wasn't afraid of falling from this high up.

"...Make sure you roll, when you land." Kurome suddenly replied, leaving Wave momentarily confused, not even looking at him. But the beautifully decorated Imperial Garden below them, as Ran even more suddenly let go of them both to let them fall. His body dissipating back into the accursed Teigu, as he shared one last bitter smile with his comrades before being metaphorically dragged back into the abyss to be separated from them again.

"Wha- Wait, Kurome! Oh shi-" Wave yelled, as he glanced upwards towards the fading Ran. Seeing his departed smile, several chords in the Jaeger's body were struck and pulled unto. Ran shouldn't be fading away, he told himself. He should be with them, alive and well. It was then, Wave knew exactly what he needed to do.

He needed to end the cycle, of bloodshed and violence. Killing Budo, simply wouldn't stop that and it wouldn't stop Kurome from adding her loved ones to her collection of corpses, by her desire to never be alone. He knew, she would eventually add him, if he ever fell to the brink of death. It was inevitable, it was fate.

It wasn't that Wave didn't particularly mind being together with Kurome, forever. But he couldn't stomach being shackled to her as an prisoner like Tatsumi was to his General. He wanted more than simply that. To love and be loved.

Mere moments from impact with the ground, Wave activated Grand Chariot as it's power threw itself over him. His explosive activation, announced his arrival to all of the General's in the Palace as they could sense it. Noticing Kurome was about to land, he caught her instantly to then lay her back unto solid footing below.

"Kurome..." His echoing voice spoke, incredibly quiet and calm. "What is it, Wave?"

"Listen, I've come to terms with my feelings..." Deciding to be honest with himself as his emotions, he continued. "I want to be with you, but not like as Ran is."

"I want to be truly with you, as your equal. As your partner and your friend." Wave was awfully thankful, that Grand Chariot's helmet prevented Kurome from looking into his eyes, at the moment. "Wave..."

"Let me finish."

"I know... I know that you're scared, Kurome. Trust me, I am too." Stepping away from her abit, to keep lookout as he spoke. Kurome's state of mind was vastly different, fully focused on him and his words.

"But I can't stand, losing you... This cycle of madness and bloodshed, it needs to stop before I lose you too." As he reflected on everyone, he had been forced to let go. Guilt continued to crash over Wave, like the fierce ocean that he loved. "You-"

"So, please... Let me, be your pillar of support. So, you can be mine." Kurome was blown away by this, she had desperately wanted Wave, especially Wave to say these words.

"Wave, I-" Trying to move the conversation, so it wasn't just Wave confessing his feelings and instead, wanted to place her love for him in the open aswell. Wave closed it down, once more. Completely refusing to acknowledge Kurome's very real love for him, as he couldn't think about that now. "You needn't answer now, Kurome. If you did, I'd lose focus on the mission."

"So, let me hear your feelings after this." Momentarily reverting back to his kind persona, Wave gently patted Kurome's head.

"Wave, I- ...I understand." She finally relented, leaving Wave satisfied with himself and his actions.

"Good, I'll fight at my best, so I'm alive to hear those words from you." Rolling his shoulders, as he began preparing to infiltrate the Palace from the Garden. Desiring to follow his General's lead to the main event, which required regrouping with her firstly. Wave and Kurome were greeted by five of General Agotian's men kicking down, one of the doors into and exiting the Imperial Garden. "Don't move, Jaegers! The Great General has ordered for your swift arrest, you'll drop your Teigu and come quietly with us."

Raising their rifles, Wave stood directly infront of Kurome whom positioned herself for a fight, glancing towards his comrade before staring down, the opposing force's Captain. "This'll be one hell of an fight, Kurome."

"We won't ask again, Jaeger! Disarm the goddamn Teigu! Immediately!" The subordinate of the Captain cried out, trying to aim at Kurome whom was largely hidden by Wave's body. "They've been warned, fire! Divide and conquer, men!"

 **That's Chapter sixteen done! I decided earlier to increase the size of each chapter to an minimum of four thousand words, since I've recently found myself being able to come up with alot of interesting stuff on the fly, so it makes sense to add more words to each chapter to avoid reaching fifty chapters too quickly without many words in each other.**

 **As I want each chapter to feel special and have it's moments, if you get me.**

 **Special thanks to everyone that's recently reviewed, love you guys! And to Shanks21 closely followed by Kraygarr for joining the Discord...!**

 **I hope they'll be followed by plenty more peeps, so I can talk with more of you!**

 **Bye, leave your thoughts and reviews as you please!**


	17. Chapter 17 - The Verge of Civil War

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

"You weren't kidding at all, Wave. They were pretty tough to beat." Kurome noted quietly, curiosity in her eyes, as she held one of the newly crafted rifles in the hand that wasn't carrying her Teigu to examine it. She recognized the type of designs from Seryu's own weapons created by their fellow Jaeger Doctor Stylish, as she dropped the weapon to glance at Wave. "What do you mean, Kurome? You were standing behind me during all of that...!"

The destructive Teigu-like weapons in question, as they both knew, were scheduled to have been officially dispatched to the Imperial Military in two weeks. But, they were already seeing plenty field usage now, Doctor Stylish had also handed schematics for them to mass-produce in their R&D factories. Wave could only summarize that Great General Budo had rushed the development then covertly leaked them to his forces and those allied with him to overwhelm General Esdeath's loyal hardened Soldiers. Whom despite having better training and field experience couldn't bridge the technological gap, enforcing an chokehold in the struggle.

"Budo's really pulling out all of the stops, Kurome." Wave said, his face worried notably. "He is, but I'm not concerned." Moving on from the pile of unconscious bodies, Kurome proceeded through the double doors leading into the Palace, Wave following on behind after breaking all of the weapons into tiny pieces with Grand Chariot to ensure they won't be used for further violence.

Having left her Tatsumi in their private quarters for safety, under the extreme explicit protection of no less than five of her trusted well-armed guardsmen that had stayed behind in the Palace, General Esdeath strode across the hallways to the Prime Minister's personal study. To ensure that Tatsumi wouldn't be disturbed, even by those that kept him safe. Esdeath had froze solid all of the walls, doors and any viable entrances to the location of his sleep, effectively ensuring that if anyone tried to enter inside then she could easily see where they came from.

She had also left Tatsumi's Incursio on it's stand, locking it in place, then took her own long sword from it. Greatly desiring to put all of her effort into the upcoming fight with Budo, if she managed to destabilize the Great General's rebellion at the head then she could tend to Tatsumi quicker. Whenever Esdeath thought about Tatsumi's near-fatal condition, violent uncontrollable anger surged wildly through her body. Freezing all of her surroundings, hallways and the like. It soon became clear to Esdeath that simply killing Budo wouldn't appease her destructive urges, she needed to _break_ him completely.

"I could use more pets, anyhow." She murmured.

To smash the proud uptight Great General into tiny small pieces, until nobody alive could recognize that he was once the Empire's imposing shield against the Revolutionary Army and it's allies. She watched Tatsumi slip away into his coma, as she caught him in the air. She saw, how distraught her medic's facial features appeared, when they were forced to deliver the news that her beloved mate had fallen into a deep state of unconsciousness from his injuries, unsure if he'd even awake from it. Even worse, when they revealed that Tatsumi's excessive head trauma meant that upon awakening from the coma, if so. It wouldn't be unlikely for him to experience memory loss, of varying stages.

Sure, it was vastly better than losing him entirely. But if Tatsumi lost the memory of his desire to be with her then General Esdeath's life as it was currently, would cease to be. She wanted Tatsumi, not some blank state. It'd be unthinkable to imagine having to mold him, all over again. The only upside is that Tatsumi's past with the Revolutionary Army would cease to be.

As the wide beautifully decorated double doors of Honest's study were violently flung from their hinges by Esdeath's hard kick as she arrived at her destination, and across the large open room straight into one of the tables covered with various important reports, documents and papers that General Esdeath had lost any care for. She smirked widely, as her senses picked up Honest's reasonably fast heart beat from behind the walls, keenly aware of his tactic to wait for her arrival behind secret passageways and observe the actions of the traitors from select peepholes.

"Eeni... Meeni, miini- Moh, catch a Minister by the toe~!" Esdeath playfully sung to herself as she prepared to ram her hand straight through the wall near Honest's position, Honest whom had heard Esdeath's voice loud and clear swiftly pulled himself from behind the wall with his arms raised upward, trying to settle the clearly tense Esdeath down. "Wait, wait! There's no need for any violence, surely. I am here!"

"You look well, for somebody who's supposed to be dead." Esdeath chuckled, referencing Budo's desire to see Honest execution for the corruption present in the Capital. "Well, that I am. But you are aware that he's after _both_ of us, Lady Esdeath."

"I am perfectly aware, Minister. But, unlike you... I relish and welcome the challenge, he's done more than enough to invoke my attention."

"Then, let's-" Honest moved to continue the conversation, but Esdeath swiftly cut him off.

"Where is he, Minister? I'd rather not discuss pleasantries excessively as it dulls my mood..."

"Doctor Stylish deployed some of Team Stylish earlier for reconnaissance activities, they've been reporting what they've found to me..." Honest gave one notable huff of dissatisfaction, as he continued. "Great General Budo is waiting for you, in the Military Wing in the third Military Hall- With General Agotian and General Morgana, they've decided to ally with him."

"Is that so, hm? I honestly suspected Agotian would leap at the first chance to pay me back, I clearly haven't tortured the fool enough..." She mused, adjusting her cap partly.

"Indeed, such a shame." Honest lightheartedly joked, stroking his beard. "He'll soon see that Budo's ideals cannot be realized, when against strong players such as yourself."

"I am unfamiliar with General Morgana's circumstances, what do you know of her capabilities?" General Esdeath asked, her eyebrow raised completely serious. Esdeath had fought with several times with Agotian, casual sparring practices and the like. As expected, Esdeath always won, always treating Agotian's attempts at dueling her as nothing more than sick entertainment as she watched the older man struggle to land a single blow. She largely forgot about Agotian, when Tatsumi became hers and hers alone.

Since being vastly more agile, and equip with Incursio. Sparring practices with Tatsumi always meant that some amount of effort was needed to avoid being hit by him.

"Ah, General Morgana. All that I know is that she is no concern of yours, you outclass her by leaps and bounds." Honest gloated, especially more confident now that General Esdeath had returned to the Palace to resolve the situation. The Ice Queen wasn't convinced, she pressured Honest additionally for more information. "I think you aren't telling the whole truth, Honest. Explain yourself."

"Well, I'll say... It's that, General Morgana recently reacquired one of the lost Teigu, Spectator." This complicated things, indeed. Esdeath knew that, she wasn't particularly used to fighting off illusions, but more than capable to.

"A former executioner of ours, Zanku stole it in which it was then stolen by Night Raid upon killing him..." The Prime Minister continued, his tone contemplative and steady.

"I see, so General Morgana prefers to use simple cowardly tricks, then." The Ice Queen scoffed in disgust, folding her arms as she looked on at Honest, whom nodded in kind.

"Afraid so, I advise dispatching her first then moving unto Budo." She took his advice, it was reasonable and sound along with being exactly what she planned on doing anyway.

"Understood, I'll try not to kill everyone that's present..."

"Ah, yes. We do still require a sizable competent Military force. Once you are Great General Esdeath of the Empire, of course!" Honest bellowed, as if it were him taking the title instead of the vengeful scary woman that stood before him. "We'll need to postpone that ball, too. It'll take least one whole month to write letters, send them and await the calls to action as the entire Military structure of the Empire will need to be reorganized..."

Honest grinned widely, as he stated, fully aware of the irony. "We do not know, how deeply Budo's corruption is planted."

"I'll get answers to that particular question, in the Torture Chambers. It's where I do my best work." General Esdeath began preparing to depart from the study, as she again adjusted her cap. Desiring to reunite with Makoto, so she could prevent him from trying to take Budo and the rest alone. Now fully aware of the situation, in full thanks to Honest.

"Inform Dr. Stylish to send the rest of his party to the Military Hall, I could use with some more pawns." Walking out, Honest nodded as her back was turned away. The gluttonous Minister sliding behind the secret passageway once more, to hide himself away. Esdeath could already view the endgame in sight, she just needed to put it into place. Eagerly excited at the concept of being incharge of what rules were enforced, and who could do what. Budo had always restrict Tatsumi's presence, during meetings that Esdeath needed to attend.

Forcing her to go hours without him, but that would soon be one bad awful memory. Soon, she'd be able to take Tatsumi and Makoto, whenever she went and wherever she wanted. She could slowly nurture Tatsumi into accepting his desires, easier and more smoothly. Soon, he'd be unable to resist playing the role of her submissive partner that loved being showered by her affection instead of distant and dismissive of it.

"All in good time, all in good time..." She thought, grinning madly.

Meanwhile, Honest reflected on his previous encounter with Doctor Stylish. Whom somehow managed to discover one of the secret passageways himself. Giving Honest, quite the shock as they encountered each other in the depths of the halls.

He recalled the conversation going as such.

"Ah, Prime Minister. I believe, I have yet to have the pleasure.~"

"Gaah, ah..! Oh, by the Emperor! It's just you..." Honest breathed out, as he was unaware of any remaining Jaegers in the Palace. Believing them to all departed with their Commander.

"Don't worry, Minister. I ain't here to gut you, I've just got keen eyes and ears everywhere." The Doctor shrugged jokingly, despite clearly waving around a surgical scalpel, positively caked in dried up blood from the Torture Chambers. "Well, genetically enhanced eyes and ears, hoho~!"

"Get to the point, how'd you discover me? These secret passageways are only known to the Emperor's family, and their closest attendants!" Secretly terrified by Stylish's intelligence, or his observation skills that led him here, Honest pressed for information from the Jaeger as if he knew then it'd be possible Budo would discover them eventually.

"Oh, don't be silly. They can't be secrets if I already know." Stylish toyed with the manipulator's tense feelings, abit excited by the irony of playing around with the chief schemer in the entire Imperial Capital. Honest gasped back in return, as the Doctor continued to withdraw from his teasing ways. "I ran into your bandaged bodyguard, earlier. They so helpfully informed me of the situation, and advised I seek shelter so they led me here. That's all, in return for that favor."

By now, Prime Minister Honest's formerly concealed horrified look became one pleased grin as he prodded the Doctor to continue by all means. "Oh... Go on, my good man."

"I'll slave away at my laboratory, all for the wonderful purpose of resurrecting anyone of your choosing that's shook off their mortal coils, per se~." Dr. Stylish explained, adjusting his necktie proudly as he tried to wager his unique skillset to Honest in hopes of attaining greater support in the Imperial Court for his gruesome experiments.

"May I suggest somebody, Prime Minister? Your bodyguard also referenced something about a... _Son?_ "

"Ah yes, I've always said I can make more but...! I couldn't _possibly_ pass this opportunity up?" Upon the eventual conclusion of Honest's foreboding words, Doctor Stylish began laughing to himself and was soon joined by Honest whom begun laughing heavily himself. Honest had heard of Dr. Stylish's revival by cloning and being able to clone important assets, without any regard for the morality of it was straight up the corrupt glutton's alley.

Back in the present, Tatsumi stirred lightly in his comatose state. His wooden bolted restraints, now complete with another pair on his legs to keep him perfectly immobile as he laid down on his back against the softness of the bed. The walls of Esdeath's bedroom were frozen over as the windows were blocked by literal clumps of solid ice to prevent escape, or infiltration. These measures were required, as Budo had command over the Imperial Guard and they possessed strength greater than what the usual footsoldier could muster along with better equipment.

In the horrible condition that drove him to the depths of unconsciousness, it didn't need to be said that Tatsumi was absolutely unable to defend himself against any intruders. But, thanks to the obsessive and protective lengths that Tatsumi's lover was willing to go, he was safe from intruders. Sadly, that didn't protect him from people already hiding in the room that she had searched over herself.

Like Akame of Night Raid, whom revealed herself from the door leading to the study. Usually, Night Raid always stayed well away from the Imperial Palace, as it was borderline suicidal behavior at the highest possible standard. That is, if it was business as usual, which it frankly wasn't. The bulk of General Esdeath's forces had already surrounded the Palace, and engaging in conflict with Budo's allied soldiers. The lower and higher areas of the Palace had been taken by Budo's men, but they were so stretched thin to fully lockdown each and every area entirely, allowing Akame to slip through the cracks undetected.

She only narrowly managed to avoid General Esdeath's keen senses, whom was currently too focused on making Budo pay dearly than anything else. Surprisingly, she managed to completely avoid catching glimpse of Makoto as the Ice Prince kept pace for the Military Wing to reunite with his favourite parent.

"Wake up, Tatsumi." Akame quietly demanded, looming over him as she held Murasame tightly. Ready to cut him, to seal his doom. That's all it took, one single cut.

But Tatsumi didn't wake up, he couldn't wake up. Regardless of how many times she asked him to, Esdeath had already tried countless more times before Akame, to her annoyance.

"Get up, Tatsumi. It's not right, for you to die like this." She added, even if Tatsumi was considered to be a turncoat in the eyes of both Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army. Akame wouldn't allow herself to be blinded by that, she wanted to speak with him first. To hear what he had to say for himself before the end, she wanted justifications but all she got was silence and pain.

It didn't take long for Akame to realize the actual purpose of the restraints on his arms and legs, they were medical bracers. Used to avoid excessive moment that might accidentally halt the healing of broken bones if they weren't positioned right. Tatsumi was paralyzed, unresponsive and completely helpless.

Usually, this was one hell of an blessing for Akame as it meant a swift, clean and easy elimination.

But the Red-Eyed Killer wasn't dealing with the highest caliber of scum, Tatsumi always demonstrated himself consistently as an force of good and of virtue. In the year that they knew each other- Tatsumi was a friend. Her friend. Night Raid's friend.

So, even if Akame had killed helpless people in the past. She couldn't bring herself to kill somebody whom had risked his life for her countless times in the past. Even if Tatsumi had betrayed them, she understood him in some ways. She had once served the Empire too, back in the Elite Seven with Kurome.

As she moved to pull Murasame away from it's position from dangerously near Tatsumi's throat, Akame's senses picked up somebody else in the room as they revealed themselves from the shadows. It is likely that because they didn't give off any particular threat, they stayed undetected from Akame. It was somebody from Esdeath's legion that managed to take advantage of the crisis in the Palace to break through to Esdeath's quarters from the floor below having ended up in another room in the large private residence entirely, they appeared to be dressed typical of her forces. Holding a small plain dagger in their hands.

"So, you're Akame- Right? This is unexpected, but great nonetheless." The young man asked sheepishly, trying to strike up conversation and not seem threatening as he continued despite Akame's silence. It was clear that he had heard of her reputation, as she was largely infamous. "Listen, I'm sure that you got here first- But we want the same thing, right?"

"..."

"You kill him, I leave. I kill him, you leave." He shrugged lightly, trying lay the situation out as he moved closer towards Tatsumi's still form. Now holding the dagger at his side, to lessen the idea of him attacking in Akame's mind, the mind which had already made itself up minutes ago.

Looming over Tatsumi's body, as Akame once had. The grunt begins to monologue, preparing to gut Tatsumi bloody with the knife in his hand. Fully intending to draw out the Ex-Night Raid Assassin's torment to it's fullest, knowing that Esdeath would be occupied for a good while to allow for it.

"This is for our General, scum. You don't deserve what you've got, but I do."

"You'll never sully, dirty or ruin her once I've through with you, I can promise." Having turned his back to Akame, which itself was immensely foolish, even if he figured they were after the same objective. The man could only try to scream in which Akame smothered him with her hand, as he felt the poison of Murasame course quickly through him straight to his beating heart from the deep bleeding cut on his back. The sinister writings flowed all over him, as he suffered the usual fatal heart attack of those cut by Murasame before dropping dead, hitting the ground notably.

Dissatisfied with that kill, Akame glanced towards Tatsumi whom she shared a sad bittersweet smile. "We're even now, Tatsumi."

"Next time... I'll do it for real. I promise you." Akame had ventured to the Capital alone, having left Leone to her own errands in the outskirts at their base, she hadn't told anyone about this thus leaving without Tatsumi dead wasn't cause for mission failure. Still, Akame couldn't help feeling as if leaving Tatsumi alive would have bad implications in the future, as they were enemies. Wiping the blood from Murasame unto the man's back, to avoid having a trail. She left through the same hole in the floor, the grunt had entered through. Leaving the body alone, as the writings had vanished from his skin.

All evidence of her presence, vanishing into thin air.

Arriving at the Military Wing on schedule, Makoto was able to catch a quick glimpse of his mother passing a corner as he dashed over to her location only to be met by Wave and Kurome respectively whom arrived at the same time as him, through another alternative entrance. Esdeath halted as she had picked up her child's scent and spun around on her heel to reunite with him, noticing her two Jaegers at the same time.

"Now, we're all aware of what is to be done." General Esdeath said, grinning widely. "Budo is to be taken alive, do whatever you can to ensure that."

"So, everyone else's lives are forfeit, right?" Makoto asked, curious to the extend of his freedom could be had.

"Yes, but do try and spare a few poor saps- Mommy needs some more pets, dear." She instructed, if words were poison then Esdeath's would be of the highest available grade.

"Let's just stop the coup, we can worry about everything else later." Wave spoke up, greatly desiring to avoid killing any Imperial Soldiers as unlike Kurome, he hadn't killed anyone since arriving at the Capital. Grand Chariot's power was enough to completely immobilize anyone, if he held back enough. Like Incursio, one powerful focused blow from Grand Chariot could blow somebody apart instantly and Wave knew that.

"Agreed." Kurome finally spoke up, but then crashing through the nearby window with extreme force came none other than Jaeger Seryu Ubiquitous herself, loudly screaming with vigor. "Yeah, I knew I wouldn't miss this! Yippee!"

Wave, closely followed by Kurome but in one less notable fashion appeared to be very stunned by this.

Mother and Son however were less than surprised, naturally, as they both had their arms folded against their chest. Completely unaware of the other doing so, before glancing at the former.

"How'd- How'd you get here, we're several stories up!" Wave yelled, trying to calm himself as Seryu pulled some of the glass from her body, brushing it off her clothes. "Weeeeell... You know how our wonderful General employs really tough large lookin' guys, right?"

"Yeaaaaah..." Wave replied, looking at said General whom currently wore a silent smirk.

"I asked one of em' to toss me at the Palace. Then I used my rocket-propelled implants to launch me higher straight into the Military Wing!" Seryu cheered, clapping her hands together whilst being all smiles. She had obviously suffered some kind of head trauma from the crash, as indicated by her behavior.

Then, as Wave tried to find the words to respond. General Esdeath began clapping slowly herself as Makoto, seeing this, did the same. Together they appeared as quite the duo, making the clapping scene look even more strange as it was already. Then, seconds after Esdeath stopped so did Makoto as the Ice Queen spoke to refresh Seryu of her orders.

"We're taking Great General Budo into custody, under the heavy suspicion of High Treason against the Empire, Emperor and the Imperial Court."

"I, General Esdeath, shall be the one to bring down swift judgement unto him. You four shall be charged eliminating the guilty's brand of suspected traitors, I advise caution however-" Esdeath halted at those words, and began moving deeper into the Military Wing with the rest following her lead. She drew her long sword, and held it tightly whilst Seryu prepared her arm mounted rifle. Wave reactivated Grand Chariot, itself forming unto his body instantly. Kurome cleaned her blade of blood along with Makoto materializing a suitably solid sword created from pure crystalline ice, as his hair began rising upward yet again.

"...General Morgana is suspected to be capable of casting illusions, be warned." At that statement, General Esdeath's walking pace became quicker than before as she expected the rest of her Jaegers to keep up, which they did.

"Illusionary fixtures are tragic falsehoods wielded by those too afraid of reality, Mother." Makoto commented, having been raised by Esdeath herself alone. The Ice Prince had her distaste for illusions ingrained in his head, he planned to target Morgana first if Agotian wasn't alone himself.

They all soon met the tightly shut doors of the reserved Military Hall, the one Honest had specified out, it had been one hour and thirty minutes since they arrived at the Capital. All exits had been blocked off by General Esdeath's battalion, thus unless they fled to other areas in the Palace itself. They were all currently standing at the place of their final battle, for today at least.

Deciding to go with the dramatic flair. General Esdeath firmly placed her palm against the center of the doors, to freeze them solid as ice traveled up across the surface, spreading from the centerpoint and to the ends. In which Esdeath finally finished it off by punching a solid blow against the ice itself as the doors broke apart into several dozen pieces, to reveal the Great General accompanied by General Agotian, General Morgana and the Captain of the Imperial Guard.

"Sir! They've been wiping us out, they'll be here any moment...!" The Captain of the Guard frantically plead, only to discover Esdeath glaring straight in his direction at Budo. The Great General stepped forward with large strides, as the Captain watched helplessly before moving to pick up his sword from the nearby table.

"So, you've come to take me into custody, have you?!" Budo announced loudly, wearing alot less of his traditional battle armor than before, opting for a simple armored battle jacket with Adramelech attached to his wrists. The pistons inside Adramelech sprung to life as they began charging up electricity to discharge as a weapon. Agotian stood up from his chair as he begrudgingly lifted Quod Lux into his hands, shifting it from Staff to Mace. Morgana shifted her hat abit, as she paused to smoke a cigarette. Puffing on it, before tossing it to the wind with one excited smile.

"How kind of you, to hand yourself over that... I was expecting more resistance from you, Budo." General Esdeath said, trying to rile him up.

"I assure you, General Esdeath. You'll really love what we've got in store for you." General Morgana added, Agotian noticed Makoto in the crowd of Jaegers as he stepped closer to the center.

Wave and Kurome were staying silent at this moment, for different but similar reasons. They kept their silence, as Seryu was currently picking out whom to fight from behind them.

"Makoto, my son! You needn't associate yourself with your people's killer! You may return to my side, and you will be spared from execution!" Agotian had originally bargained with Budo for this, hence why Budo made no attempt to stop Agotian's words. It was fairly obvious that Agotian was tricked by Esdeath's false cover story of Makoto being among the people of the Northern tribes whom Esdeath had buried in the snow. Hence why he assumed Makoto loathed Esdeath.

"Your concern is misguided, Agotian. I have never let morality muddle my ambition, I will do what I can to achieve more power." Stepping forward, past Esdeath's own position, Makoto raised his weapon and pointed it straight at the moustached General.

"Then... You are truly lost, child." He sadly stated, as if he had just lost somebody close to him.

"Silence, all of you! The time for discussion is over! Today, the Empire's long history of corruption dies with Prime Minister Honest, as it will with you!" Having successfully charged a considerable amount of electricity, Budo released it straight at Makoto whom stood the furthest to him. The beam of lighting racing towards the boy, blindingly fast as Esdeath took ahold of him and leapt to the side with him in her arms.

Wave dashed straight to the left, Kurome following closely behind him to back her loved one up. Seryu, currently clinging to the ceiling's chandelier from her legs, began firing upside down from her position to General Morgana whom she had picked out.

 _"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"_ Seryu madly laughed, her target currently dodging her hail of bullets by kicking up table and chairs for the explosive tipped bullets to blow apart instead. A astray bullet, bouncing from the solid floor to land flying into the temple of the Guard Captain, his corpse hitting the floor seconds later.

Esdeath let go of Makoto, as she glared intensely at Budo. Charging straight into the action, Esdeath kicked Budo square in the chest. Sending the large man, flying from the ground and through the ceiling of the Military Hall. Esdeath followed him by summoning a pillar of ice to elevate her upwards, Budo realizing that indoors weren't to his advantage used Esdeath's kick to escape to the outside garden as she followed him.

Having secret intentions of her own, General Morgana followed up Esdeath and Budo's pathway and into the garden itself with Seryu dropping from the chandelier to pursue her as Kurome, realizing that Seryu was bound to bite off considerably more than she could chew. Followed after her upon giving one heartfelt smile to Wave, whom smiled back even if it was hidden by Grand Chariot.

Now, the two were against General Agotian in the ruined Military Hall. Taking one moment to catch his breath, Agotian prepared himself as Makoto and Wave did the same.

"Do I honestly need to put down, such good young men?"

"The world is filled with cruelties, Agotian." Makoto responded, as he took his Incursio from his back. The blue sheen of the Teigu, glowing brightly in the light from the chandeliers. Through the hole in the ceiling caused by Esdeath's kick, Wave observed lighting crashing from the sky as the sky itself notably darkened, it was midday and perfectly sunny previously.

"Lucky for you, Mother prefers you alive. Now..."

"Allow me to guide you, Agotian. To the gateway of your limit."

"You- You believe yourself to be greater than me?! _Me?!"_ It grew apparent that Agotian's reluctance to fight them, gradually slipped away each word that released his mouth.

 _"_ You are no different than General Esdeath, you believe yourself superior but you just a small child...!"

" _Just. A. Child._ " Extending Quod Lux's Mace, Agotian flung it violently at Wave as Makoto activated Incursio using the explosive activation to repel the Teigu's mace from reaching them as it returned to the General. "I've killed plenty children in my time, younger than you, fed them to my beasts! So you'll make a perfect appetizer!"

Elsewhere, Budo and Esdeath were currently fighting in the empty streets of the Captial. People having fled indoors as soon as the thunderous strikes came down from Adramelech, Seryu and Morgana still fought in the Imperial Gardens. Surprisingly, Morgana wasn't using the full extend of Spectator yet, only reading Seryu's mind to examine where she was planning on aiming at next. Avoiding all of her gunfire with agile evasion maneuvers alone, greatly frustrating Seryu alot.

Tatsumi however was completely unaware of this, but he did hear something that is. A voice, calling out to him. Telling him to wake up. Wake up, and get up. Two things, he wasn't sure he could do.

"Hey, sleepy head." The voice called out, dreamily.

"Tatsumi, you conscious?"

"It's past noon, rise and shine."

"Up and at em' kid."

"Move it, blockhead. Food's gettin' cold...!"

The voice didn't stop, instead separated into more voices. Males and females, respectively. Urging him to awaken, from his slumber. Eventually, Tatsumi felt light come into view, as his eyes opened. Observing somebody he hadn't seen, in what appeared to be forever.

"Ah, I thought you'd never wake up. How bout some training with me, Tatsumi? You and me." Bulat, the one hundred man killer and his mentor, smiled at him. Leaning over the bed, prodding his head.

 **Now we're getting into the good parts, more fight scenes! It's a threeway brawl between General Esdeath and Great General Budo! It's winner takes all folks! Who will die, and who will live?**

 **Well, you already know who won't ;) I'll keep this author note short, as I kinda wanna get to writing the next chapter as soon as I can!**

 **Lemme know what you think, so review accordingly! Feedback is always appreciated.**

 **Bye! Special Mentions to Ooze96 and Shanks21 for keeping me laughing on Discord.**


	18. Chapter 18 - The Chosen One

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **Important info in the Author Note!**

"You know, Tatsumi. A good sleeping pattern is required, for a healthy body." Bulat spoke across from Tatsumi, they were both standing together in Night Raid's Training Yard. Both shirtless, and holding wooden practice swords. "But if you do too much of one thing then you won't have any time for the other."

"So, what you're saying is... I shouldn't sleep too much, right?" Tatsumi replied, abit humored at his big brother's thinly veiled insult at his supposed laziness. As they were currently taking a break, having sparred together for what seemed like hours, Tatsumi felt at ease enough to retort with an remark of his own accompanied by a laugh.

"You know if you were half as good at flirting with me, than you are at training then perhaps I'd actually learn something, Bro."

"Ok, ok. You got me there, cute stuff." At that, Bulat began laughing too. Tatsumi felt great at being able to spend time with Bulat, life had never been better at Night Raid's HQ. The others would be back soon, aside from Akame and Leone whom were currently at the Capital on some sort of mission according to Najenda's words. Still, Lubbock and Sheele were always good company. Heck, Tatsumi was partly excited to spend some time with Mine. Even if she always kept dragging him around the Capital to do errands.

 _Agonizingly painful shopping errands._

Still, all of this... This blissful sense of happiness, felt awfully wrong deep down, Tatsumi tried to ignore and focus on his current training with Bulat as their swords clashed once more for the hundredth time.

"Come on, Tatsumi...! Control your emotions, focus your attacks to the target!" Bulat yelled out, vigor in his words, desperately trying to motivate his shirtless student as Tatsumi responded in kind. Parrying Bulat's sword blow with skill, and redirecting it away to allow for a torso strike at him that landed perfectly. At this, Bulat dropped his sword and begun clapping happily as Tatsumi stood absentmindedly with the sword, still firmly gripped in his hands.

"Hey hey, that's the way! You got it, Tatsumi." Bulat gave one very pleased smile, giving Tatsumi, his trademark thumbs up gesture. Causing his student to drop the held sword aswell, Bulat gestured over to Tatsumi as he spoke. "You're improving more and more, everyday. Soon, you'll surpass me by far and I'll be left in the bitter dust."

"Hey, you know I'll never be as strong as you, Bro." Tatsumi replied, shaking his head left to right in refusal as Bulat only laughed harder than before. "Shucks, Tatsumi. Show more confidence in yourself and your abilities, you've got skill like I've never seen before."

Greatly embarrassed by his Bro's words of praise, Tatsumi couldn't help but blush shyly as he instinctively scratched the back of his head to relieve his nerves. They both then stopped training for today, and went back inside the Night Raid HQ to rest up, and spend some quality time together as friends. Sure, they were partners and comrades but they were also great friends with each other. Tatsumi treasured all of the friends that he had made in Night Raid, every single one, everyone was important to him.

As they walked to the doors leading to the lobby, Tatsumi was assaulted by vivid horrific visions of swirling water that soon changed into swirling pools of crimson red blood, torn white pieces of cloth scattered across what seemed like a ship's deck. Three laughing demons, covered by shadow as they taunted him. Hearing voices in his head, Tatsumi was saved from his disturbingly realistic sights by Bulat's comforting hand coming down on his shoulder.

"You feeling ok, buddy? You've been staring off into space, for a while now." Gently shrugging off Bulat's hand, Tatsumi nodded his head. His face, still trying to calm itself down as the look of horror wasn't fading away anytime soon. This didn't stop Bulat's concern, as he suddenly took Tatsumi from his place on the floor and holstered the young boy over his shoulders, keeping him in place with his hand. As Tatsumi frantically tried to struggle away from Bulat's grip, as he instinctively yelled out.

"Stop it, Esdeath...! I'm fine!" Tatsumi stopped himself with his hand, as Bulat surprisingly gave no real acknowledgement of his words, aside from one confused response. "Hey, who's that? One of your lady friends, Tatsumi~?"

That's the scary part, Tatsumi didn't know exactly who she was either. He had just blurted it out, on instinct without any real thought put into it. All he knew that whenever his mind tried to recall what she was, who she was and what she meant to him. A icy chill passed through him, which immediately caused him to withdraw from pondering further to avoid that awful sensation attacking him as it did.

"I... I don't know, I- I don't wanna know." Tatsumi muttered, as Bulat figured that he was just tired from the afternoon of training with him. His student being carried to his room, to rest. Bulat knew that Mine would want first stab at Tatsumi, once she arrived so he was largely doing the poor boy, one massive favour. But, being Bulat, he was more than fine with receiving the thanks that he was owed later.

Laying Tatsumi down on his bed, Bulat folded his arms and grinned widely. Curling his hair with his fingertip, looking over Tatsumi.

"Just lay down, for a while. You probably pulled some muscle, sport."

"Pulled a muscle, I feel... I feel, actually _extremely_ lightheaded." Tatsumi responded, trying to sort out thoughts that passed by him.

He dozed off right before Bulat's eyes, five minutes later as Bulat left the room. Hours passed, and the other Night Raid members returned to Headquarters. When Tatsumi awoke, he saw Najenda overlooking him accompanied by Mine to her side. They were dressed as they usually were, Najenda currently carrying a unlit cigar in her mouth as she raised her visible eyebrow to Tatsumi. Mine currently leaning over his bedside, only to realize that he was awake and withdraw back to beside her boss.

"Good evenin' kid, how're you feeling?" Najenda spoke to him, with her usual guff but kind tone. Tatsumi immediately shot up from his bed, feeling extremely well rested and ready to go on whatever mission was required of him. "Ah- Hey there, boss. We headin' out tonight?"

"Nu-uh, we usually take jobs from the Revolutionary Army and the public, but we haven't recieved any hits as of yet." Najenda replied, as Mine sputtered out words to Tatsumi with what seemed like rage. "Hey, you idiot! What'd you think you are doing?! Sleeping all day, I wanted to drag you out shopping with me!"

Tatsumi sighed internally, then externally as he heard the words. At this point, Mine wasn't even masking how selfish she was being and practically expected Tatsumi to off himself up as an physical laborer for her desires. He remarked at the irony of always being bossed around by women, whenever he went. Akame, Leone, Mine and Esdeath... Wait, that name again. Where does it keep appearing in his head, Tatsumi thought. It didn't make much sense as it is, Bulat didn't know who it was, so neither would anyone else for that matter.

"Unfortunately, Mine had other important duties to attend to." Najenda picked Mine from the floor by her clothes' collar. She was dangling from the floor due to their difference in height, as they were now eye level with each other. Mine clearly tried to resist, but Najenda simply ignored her struggles. "Hey, hey! What's the big idea, you'll ruin the fabric!"

"My outfit's going to be ruined, quit it! Quit. It!" She screamed out loudly in protest, hurting Tatsumi's delicate ears, as Najenda whom clearly enjoyed this. Teasingly responded. "Now, don't bother Tatsumi and return to your own room... Got that, kiddo?"

"Yes, yes! Just drop me already!" Mine, throwing her arms wildly out. Wasn't aware of how Najenda would take those words, as she simply did as was told. Dropping Mine straight to the ground on her ass, before folding her arms across her chest. Chewing on the cigar in her mouth, turning to Tatsumi whom attentively looked back at his leader.

"Hey, kid." Najenda said, looking Tatsumi over as she spoke. Leaving Mine to sulk on the floor as she tried to lift herself from it with little success.

"Sheele took abit of an nasty tumble during the trip to the Revolutionary Army's main base, she could use some of your usual kind words."

"Wait, Sheele? How is she, is she hurt anywhere?" Tatsumi's mind raced with notable concern for his friend, as Najenda's words had invoked such concern. Najenda shook her head sideways, taking the chewed cigar from her mouth to laugh properly as she did. "Oh no, all that's hurt is her pride."

"Go cheer her up abit, kiddo." Smiling, as rare as it was to Tatsumi, she shooed him away with her hand.

"Yes, ma'am!" Tatsumi practically leapt from his single bed, that oddly felt so tiny now for some reason. Dashing from his room, to the corridor on the outside. Slowing down as he reached the main lobby of Night Raid's base, admiring the flag of their group spread out near the fireplace. Tatsumi's sense of perception became distorted for several brief moments, as the pristine flag now appeared torn, burnt and mangled. Quickly moving to rub his eyes, when Tatsumi opened them. The flag appeared perfectly fine as it was, shaking his head.

He heard a voice call out to him, from behind.

"Yo, Tatsumi. What's up?" It was Lubbock, whom was currently creating what was referred to as an "Cat's cradle" with his Teigu's wires whilst leaning against one of the walls. Tatsumi was pretty surprised Lubbock could do that with Cross Tail, without hurting himself but often chalked it down to pure skill on his friend's end.

"Ah, hey." Tatsumi nervously spluttered out, caught off guard by his friend in the midst of his strange foreboding hallucination.

"Just hey, huh? Man, you hurt me bad." Lubbock laughed, retracting his wires back into his Teigu's gloves as he pushed himself from the wall and walked over to Tatsumi as they clasped their opposite hands together as an sign of their friendship. Now, they both begun laughing together.

"I missed ya, Lubbock." Tatsumi replied, they had only been apart, for a day... Wasn't that right, so why did he suddenly feel so sad when speaking those words. Before Tatsumi could make sense of his feelings, Lubbock replied as their hands separated.

"I missed you too, Tatsumi. It's not the same without my sidekick around to tease, you know." Lubbock scratched his cheek, looking innocently away from Tatsumi whilst doing so, clearly aware of the fact that his words would likely invoke rage in his friend. Which, as expected, was right on the money.

"Sidekick?! What the hell, I'm no sidekick!" Tatsumi quickly retorted back.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that, princess." Lubbock mocked, unconvinced of Tatsumi's words.

"If anything at all, Lubbock! I'm the main character of the show and not anything less!" Tatsumi tried to press his words, posing heroically in the lobby to affirm his point. Sure, Tatsumi looked heroic enough, but Lubbock kept on teasing as he went to finish off Tatsumi. "Pssh, step down side character. It's really Akame who's the main character here."

At that, Tatsumi's hero pose went flat. He sighed notably, as Lubbock came over to his side and patted his back. Trying to comfort his friend, clearly having been joking before. "Don't feel so glum, Tatsumi. We can be side characters together, you and I."

"Yeah... I suppose you've got a point there, heh." Tatsumi lifted his slouched body up, and glanced towards Lubbock whom went to speak. As it was late, Tatsumi was pretty surprised that Lubbock was still awake as he was, since all Tatsumi had done today was training with Bulat. Lubbock himself had been away from Headquarters on some kind of mission, so he'd be confused as to why he was up late and not sleeping in his room.

"Hey, Tatsumi... You goin' to see Sheele, right?" Lubbock said, looking slightly nervous.

"Well, Najenda probably told you about today..." He continued his words, scratching his cheek as before.

"...You know where she is?" Tatsumi's facial expression dropped from curious, straight down to "I should have seen this coming." as he nodded in confirmation. Tatsumi already knew that nothing would stop Lubbock from acquiring Najenda's love and attention, he figured Najenda only put up with his advances because of his usefulness and extremely fierce loyalty. Then again, Tatsumi couldn't fully fault Lubbock's pursuit of love. He himself had become quite smitten with Mine, when she wasn't behaving like a total... Uhm, moving on.

"In my room, with Mine-" Tatsumi began, suddenly being cut off by Lubbock whom replied faster.

"Kay, thanks, bye!" Soon, Lubbock's presence in the lobby was fading memory to Tatsumi whom tried to shrug it off as if it hadn't happened. Recalling his previous promise to Najenda to check on Sheele, he resumed his pursuit of the task at hand and soon arrived at Sheele's room. Gently knocking on the door with his fist, Tatsumi heard Sheele's gentle voice call out.

"Is that you, Tatsumi...?" She spoke, Tatsumi caught abit off guard again by being discovered from behind the door. He wasn't exactly aware, how she discovered it was him from behind the door as he replied, loud enough to be heard.

"Yeah, it's me. Mind if I come inside, Sheele?" His expressed words were met by those, which Tatsumi considered, an angel. "Of course, it's unlocked. Come right in."

To Tatsumi, his deep bond with Sheele was one that he considered extremely important. Especially as she always provided comfort, kind words and helpful advice whenever she could for him. To Tatsumi, life without Sheele was borderline unthinkable. She made up one of the pillars of his life, even if their line of work was dangerous. He vowed to train hard to keep Sheele safe from harm.

"Whoa, they weren't kiddin' were they." Tatsumi uttered absentmindedly, as Sheele's forehead was covered by bandages. The sight caused Tatsumi to ponder exactly how'd it had happened, as Sheele explained that part herself in her response. "I was wiping my glasses abit, following the others from behind..."

"And next thing that I know, I trip over..." Tatsumi patiently waited for her to continue, sitting on one of Sheele's chairs as Sheele herself was laying down on her bed. Without her glasses.

"..." Sheele stayed quiet for about ten seconds, as Tatsumi finally pressed for the conclusion as politely as possible. "Then, what did you fall over?"

"A Rock." She stated, hiding her head under the covers of her bed.

"A _rock_...?" Tatsumi replied, completely overtaken by the fact that Sheele, one of the greatest members of the legendary Night Raid was tripped by something as small and insignificant as a rock. He glanced at the night stand, beside her bed as Tatsumi noticed that her glasses were missing from it. "Hey, what happened to your glasses?"

"They broke, when I fell over." Sheele continued to hide from Tatsumi's eyes, as the boy sighed heavily. He still felt awful for his friend, as he knew that Sheele's absentminded behavior was apart of her personality that wouldn't change. The only that time she's not clumsy is during battle, Tatsumi thought.

"I'll head into the Capital when I can, I'll buy you some." Looking away, nervously whilst blushing red. Tatsumi didn't see Sheele's eyes pop out from the sheets, as she held the covers with her hands. Taken back by Tatsumi's generous behavior as she tried to assert herself back into the conversation by speaking up. "Tatsumi, I'll pay..."

"No need, Sheele. It's on me." Of course, Sheele tried to press but Tatsumi for once, put his foot down. Eventually, she relented but not before exchanging a smile with him. Tatsumi found dealing with Sheele to be vastly more easier than any of the other girls in Night Raid, as they usually overcame any argument that he had without mercy. So, naturally, Tatsumi often leapt at any viable chance to help out Sheele. It wasn't all bad, however as he knew that Mine was gradually warming up to him. If you could count giving him less punches in the arm, as warming up, then yes.

Back in the Capital, the battle between General Esdeath's Jaegers and Great General Budo's allies continued to tear destruction across the Empire.

"If you've only that to offer me, Budo! Then this'll end way sooner than I hope!" Effortlessly dodging the Great General's lighting strikes from above. General Esdeath kept on taunting her foe relentlessly. She had originally wanted to avoid dragging this out, but she was riding high on the thrill of fighting somebody that she considered somewhat of an worthy opponent. Which, as rare as that was, meant that Esdeath wanted to savor this battle as much as she could.

Before demonstrating to Budo exactly how badly he had screwed up by challenging her.

"All I need is one solid hit on you, Ice Witch!" Budo yelled loudly, as the thunderstorm above continued to pour down over the Capital. It was raining intensely, dampening all of the surroundings. By this time, deep puddles had begun to emerge in the craters left by the violent conflict. At the palace's feet, Esdeath and Budo's forces were fighting against each other. Neither currently having the advantage over the other as they were bodies littered everywhere. One party trying to gain access to the Palace, the other trying to defend from the intruders trying to seek access.

"Then hit me, old man! Stop trying so hard, and hit me!" Darting towards Budo, with blinding speed as she held unto her cap. The General General was forced to use Adramelech's power to strike one large pillar of lighting from the skies directly unto himself. Roaring loudly as the pain surged through him, Budo was able to use the static electricity flowing through him to levitate from the the ground to the air as he immediately retreated away from the oncoming insane woman.

"There's nowhere to run, Budo. Face me!" Esdeath roared in return, as she summoned fifteen individual Ice Lancers to pierce her target whilst leaping from destroyed rooftop to destroyed rooftop. The oncoming field of death forced Budo to summon another pillar of lighting straight down on him as they narrowly reached their target, destroying them all in it's explosive radius.

"I've always known that you held no regard for the Empire's people, Esdeath!" Budo, observing the horrible chaos around him, yelled once more at his foe. "All I care about, is defeating you and claiming what is mine... Your title, Budo!"

"So, you'd rather abandon honour and duty to the Prime Minister?" Budo replied, trying to distract Esdeath enough for Adramelech to finish recharging itself for another lighting volley. "Oh, I still have my sense of duty... But you made one fatal mistake, believing I hold my loyalty to you over my precious loved ones."

Budo seemed absolutely stunned, as if Esdeath held a concept of love, it was unthinkable. He knew that she had held that Night Raid scum close, but he had always assumed she was interested in his talents and body than actual realistic love and devotion. "From the destruction you've caused around you, I do not believe love is something that you feel...!"

Launching a another volley of lighting orbs at Esdeath, Budo leapt away once more using the leftover charge in Adramelech to gain further distance. General Esdeath easily avoided every single one of Budo's attacks as they came, grinning widely as Budo's words only served as motivation to see him suffer more.

"My heart beats as much as yours does, Budo! But once I'm done with you..." Esdeath moved in, aiming for swift removal of the Great General's limbs as she knew completely ridding him of them, was the only way she'd be able to torture him later. She knew that Budo would refuse capture, preferring to die by his own terms than serve as an means of entertainment.

"You'll wish it didn't beat at all...!"

"Enough, I am your superior! Do not underestimate me, nor my passion!" As Esdeath came close to him, Budo managed to defect her sword's strike by using his gauntlet, thankfully avoiding any damage to it since they were currently positioned awkwardly on the rooftop. What Budo couldn't dodge was Esdeath's oncoming kick that struck directly against his chest, causing him to grind across the rooftop on his back and across several others. Flipping himself backwards, and unto his feet. Budo launched another rain of fierce lighting from the dark gloomy skies above, aiming for Esdeath's general location and her surroundings. To avoid this, Esdeath had to leap backwards several dozen meters, in different directions constantly as the barrages kept coming relentlessly. Giving Budo, enough time to recharge Adramelech's power to continue the process.

In the Imperial Garden, General Morgana had grown tired of avoiding Seryu's gunfire as using Spectator to read the Jaeger's mind, made that so tirelessly easy for her. Kurome was currently keeping her distance, as Seryu's gunfire was frantic and unpredictable. The General wanted a challenge, hence why she had followed General Esdeath's route, hoping that they could fight once the Jaegers had been dispatched. Deciding that it was time, to properly put her newly acquired Teigu to good use. The gunfire from Seryu's weapon had caused tremendous amounts of smoke to cover the garden. Morgana grinned, as she activated Illusion Sight. Causing the opposing Jaegers to witness her most important person, directly infront of her eyes.

For Kurome, it was Wave now. Instead of the expected Akame.

"General Esdeath, what're you doing here?!" Seryu cried out, stunned and shocked as she suspected the illusion's falseness but couldn't entirely be sure. Kurome kept backwards, as she knew of the falseness. As the illusionary Esdeath walked from the clouds of smoke, in which Morgana came hurling straight out to engage Seryu in hand to hand combat. Clearly preferring it than dodging bullets. Able to score one solid straight across Seryu's face, Morgana allowed Seryu time to recover as the younger woman shifted her arm back to it's original form as an usual hand.

As the illusion faded, Kurome darted back into the fray to them both.

"Now, why don't we fight fairly? Close quarters combat, you beat me..."

"And you can swoop in, and help your Commander." Morgana wiped her cheek, using her sleeve whilst keeping her wide grin. She knew exactly what she was doing at the moment, taking full advantage of Seryu's dedication to General Esdeath to gain entertainment from the fight as she already figured that Seryu would fight excessively harder to finish it quicker... Kurome on the other hand, was largely mysterious to the General but that didn't largely matter.

It was more fun that way, really.

To each of their surprise as no less than seconds later, General Agotian came hurriedly leaping straight out from the broken destroyed roof of the Imperial Military Hall. Seemingly flying in the air from his powerful leap. Closely being followed by Wave and Makoto, whom of each shared glances with Seryu and Kurome respectively as the three descended down to the Capital. The fight between the three hadn't stopped since, but Agotian was gradually losing ground to the two less experienced soldiers. Even after discarding any hesitation, General Agotian was still falling short against them as they outnumbered him.

"Run all you want, I'll chase you down." Makoto taunted, Incursio worn on his small body causing his voice to echo menacingly, he was right on the General's cowardly tail as Wave kept his mouth shut tight during this. Fully confused on ending the fight, and reuniting with Kurome. Agotian landed first on his feet, hitting against one of the more sturdy rooftops as he was forced to cry out in pain, due to not properly sticking the landing properly. Wave was second to land into the Capital's public district, crashing straight down unto the streets, having purposefully avoided hitting the houses.

Then it was Makoto, whom merely dispelled Incursio from his body. Swiftly placing it back unto it's scabbard on his back, then applying pieces of ice to his ankles and wrists to effortlessly float down unto the same rooftop that Agotian stood upon. His sword arm, instantly gripping ahold of the crystalline Ice blade that extended far enough to stab Agotian from halfway from the end of the building they were standing on.

"So assured of yourself aren't you, lil' child?" Agotian tried to mock the boy's sense of egotism, as Makoto merely scoffed in response before replying properly. "I am not unjustified as you think, in my sense of self-importance, old man."

"...Huh?" Utterly confused by Makoto's refusal to be knocked down, Agotian was instead held victim to his own words.

"I am the _Chosen One_... Mother has allowed me to rule this planet, by right of the power that I hold." Levitating himself skyward using the Demon's Extract in his blood, once more. Makoto stared down at Agotian from above, as his empty hand raised upwards to the dark sky. The clouds continued to pour rain, as Wave moved to intercept, only stopping as he noticed the bodies across the ground...

...Slowly becoming embedded with Ice, even pieces of destroyed housing debris soon became clusters of thick Ice.

"What... What is going on, answer me!" Yelled the terrified General, he surely wasn't aware that Makoto held this level of power.

Everything around them that wasn't alive nor moving, gradually became apart of Makoto's influence, as soon they were all flung upward together into one supremely massive ball directly above the Ice Prince's head, some meters above, Agotian trying to retreat away to gain distance away from the terrifying scene. Thousand upon thousand pieces of collected Ice had gathered together to form one beautiful union. A collection of chaos, tied together by the power of the Demon's Extract. Wave, currently searching for his Commander in the madness, to try and resolve the increasingly out of control situation. Even Budo himself were forced to pause his next attack, to observe the sight. Esdeath herself taking alot of pride in her son's accomplishment before continuing to assault Budo relentlessly.

"Behold, Agotian. The answer that you've sought, witness..."

" _ **Hagelsprung!**_ "

Tossing it straight down at Agotian's location. Makoto allowed himself to float behind it's collision course as the collective ball of hail hurled itself at the General, the Ice Prince sharply kicking against the back of it to increase it's momentum as Agotian was forced to think on his feet, or perish. Hastily using Quod Lux, he managed to constrict the oncoming sphere of certain death with his chains. Successfully managing to break apart the ball of hail into separate individual large pieces. Still, they weren't any less dangerous than they were before being broken apart. This was proven when they all came down, utterly destroying the surrounding areas excessively as they rained chaos across the landscape.

Agotian being practically swept away by the unfolding carnage as dust blew everywhere, then found himself buried alive under the dozen houses that were destroyed by the storm of dangerous hail. Completely unable to escape, as more pieces of housing fell unto him. All of the supports having crumbled under the weight of Makoto's barrage. In his vain attempts to free himself from his awful predicament, Agotian fell unconscious as collapsing wooden structures inflicted enough trauma to the head to cause such.

"Hm, spoilsport..." Makoto bitterly remarked, greatly unsatisfied with Agotian's unintended defeat as he slowly descended back down unto the original intact rooftop. The Ice from his ankles, melting away into nothingness. The deed was done, Makoto was forced to admit that Agotian's move spared him from certain death at his hands and if he had been vastly more quicker then he could have avoided the attack outright. Victory belonged to him, and that's all that mattered to the Ice Prince.

He didn't relish extending the suffering of his foes, as his Mother loved to do. All that mattered to the Ice Prince, was proving his power to his opponent and then swiftly resolving the fight on his own terms. Even if self admittedly, that act just then was showing off... He knew that if Agotian lived past his mother's judgement, he'd never try and sway him to his side again.

Kicking at the debris on the rooftop, Makoto reflected back on his own previous brush with death in the Military Hall. During the initial fight with the General, Makoto had felt his body fade from reality unexpectedly. Whilst it only lasted ten total seconds before passing on, it was more than enough time for Agotian to slam Quod Lux into the young boy's chest to send his body flying into the wall. Choking blood everywhere at the time, harsh reality slowly crept into the Ice Prince's mind.

 _He'd never complete his mission._

It wasn't enough to ensure that Tatsumi and Esdeath's relationship remained firm enough to ensure his existence, he needed to exist regardless of the circumstances. His mother was unpredictable but smart, and so was his father. He had suffered badly at Agotian's hands, due to being victim to causality's hold on him. Then it struck him, his mother had spoken of the fact that she herself had bent time to her whim. Through sheer force of will alone, time itself stood time at her command and resumed at her leisure.

So, it was simple. Makoto needed to evolve to that state too, he needed to grow stronger, if he were able to force himself into existence... By sheer force of willpower. When he shouldn't exist, Makoto would avoid being consumed by the cessation of the void to be free to live without fear. Along with that, even if he were able to revert his dark future from transpiring then he'd still linger in the past.

"Makoto..." The Ice Prince halted his thoughts, turning around to see Wave arrive at his position on the roof. Lacking Grand Chariot on his body. Concern in the Jaeger's visible eyes, as he glanced towards Agotian's structural tomb. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine." Makoto emptily replied, as his Ice blade vanished in his hands.

"Are you ascertain, really? The General hit you pretty badly back there." Glancing to Makoto with confusion, then back to Agotian's resting place. Wave seemed largely unsure of their next action as both battles still kept going on. Wave was only able to relax, as Budo and Esdeath had taken their personal conflict between each other several long distances away from them. Hardly visible to Wave's eyes, aside from the flashes of lighting from afar.

"We'll detain the General."

"If he's still alive, that is..." Wave offhandedly replied, in which Makoto confirmed what Wave had hoped for. "He is, just unconscious."

"Thank the Emperor for that... Alright, let's take him back to the Palace." Wave, now aware of the next course of action leapt over towards Agotian's position to pull the man from his sinkhole. Makoto remained on the rooftop, as he observed the ongoing spectacular fight between his mother and Budo. Fully one hundred percent certain that she'd win, thus didn't have any concerns nor reservations about leaving her to it.

"You ladies are feisty, aren't you?" General Morgana giggled, tossing her hat to the harshly blowing wind as she pulled up her ponytail to keep it in place. The rain hadn't stopped since Budo retreated to the outdoors. "But I'll let you onto some secret, since you've both been such good sparring partners."

"What is it that you want?" Kurome asked, holding her blade closely against her body by it's grip. Prepared to parry any oncoming strikes, and potentially decapitate any limbs. Seryu seemed pretty confused that Kurome was entertaining the enemy's dialogue, instead of trying to attack her. "Kurome! Earth to Kurome, she's the enemy! We need to deliver good ol' fashioned Imperial Justice!"

"Now now~ Truth is, kids. I'm not actually your enemy, at all." General Morgana shrugged her shoulders, as she glanced towards the two Jaegers standing few meters away. Keeping their guards up, as she folded her arms to continue speaking words. "My troops pulled out, as soon as General Esdeath's came to the scene. It's only Agotian and Budo's men fighting down there, see."

"Why should we trust you..." Kurome emptily stated, clearly unconvinced for now. "Yeah, you've only just thought to mention that!" Seryu interjected.

"Oh, that's simple. I was gauging your skill, and colour me impressed." General Morgana gave an thumbs up, as she smiled at the two. "What I'm really after is to fight your Commander. I've been curious of her skill, so when Budo came to me and offered the challenge...

"I couldn't refuse!"

"Why should we trust you." Kurome repeated once more, this time directing her blade outwards to Morgana's direction. "Simple, you can't really but neither of you can defeat me as you are."

"Well, you're _awfully_ sure of yourself?! Aren't you!" Beyond insulted, Seryu moved to charge towards Morgana as Kurome's hand tightly grabbed ahold of her shoulder to prevent such. Seryu turned around, greatly confused at Kurome's action as the girl explained herself. "She's right, Seryu."

"We cannot beat her right now... But she won't beat our Commander." Kurome eventually let go of Seryu's shoulder as she realized that Ubiquitous no longer struggled against her hold. Seryu relented, as she looked down to the ground in defeat, clenching her fists together hard. "I suppose, you are right... I admit defeat."

" _NOT!"_ Seryu powerfully charged towards Morgana, whom stood perfectly still in place. Seryu shifting her opposite hand into an lethal hidden blade. Intending to use it to stab the General, taking advantage of her lowered guard. General Morgana wasn't in the mood for none of this, as she activated Spectator once more as it perfectly read through Seryu's next moves and intentions. Enabling her to catch Seryu's arm during the stabbing strike, and judo throw her straight to the ground. Slamming the younger woman against the surface hard enough to break some of the floor's stone.

" _Guaaaah!_ "

"Told you." Delivering one last kick to the stomach, Seryu gagged from the impact as she completely lost consciousness. At the General's mercy, as Kurome stepped forward to protect her ally. Morgana stayed true to her inclination to avoid further combat with Esdeath's Jaegers. "Take your trigger-happy friend away from here, cute stuff."

Lifting her hat from the ground, Morgana stuck it back unto her head to avoid the rainfall. Kurome had already made it to Seryu, standing directly over her body as she watched the retreating General whom seemed to be trying to observe the fight between Esdeath and Budo from the Garden's perch. Deciding this wasn't close enough for her tastes, she bid Kurome farewall with one tip of her fedora. "See ya, m'lady."

Fully aware of Seryu's abnormally heavy weight due to her modifications. Kurome simply opted to wait for her awakening as she wasn't willing to pull muscles in trying to haul the psychopathic Jaeger back into the Palace from the Garden. Deeply concerned about Wave's wellbeing, Kurome fought against the urge to abandon Seryu and try to find him.

Both Great General Budo and General Esdeath sensed their respective General's arrival themselves, Budo's spirits lifted immensely as he figured despite Agotian's loss to the Jaegers. General Morgana had been successful in her elimination targets, then horror came to his eyes as Morgana simply halted as soon as she came far enough. Taking position on one of the unstable Military watchtowers overlooking the residential area, remaining there idly.

Budo originally sought to defeat Esdeath entirely on his own, but she proved to be terrifyingly tenacious in every regard. Thus, becoming desperate, he welcome Morgana's assistance but none came. Growing increasingly angry at the thought of General Morgana selling him out, leaving him to die. Budo slammed both gauntlets of Adramelech together violently to generate more power at the cost of damaging the Teigu.

"Keep your eyes on me, Budo!"

" _Haaaaaaaaarh!_ " Budo roared out loudly, trying to overcome the pain from enduring several bolts of his own lighting attacks as the oncoming Esdeath was forced to withdraw once more to avoid being struck by the oncoming assault. His Teigu went unto release blindingly powerful shockwaves of electricity that surged across the destroyed surrounding houses, reducing everything in the general vicinity to dust. Only the building Budo currently stood above was unscathed, as General Esdeath keeping hold of her cap elegantly floated down from the sky. "Tsk tsk, Budo. Now, who's the one whom cannot control his destructive tendencies?"

"...It is more than worth it, to rid the Empire of your taint!" He retorted back, determination in his words. Budo's last ditch plan to have Esdeath come close enough to him, so he may use the sword that she carried as an electric conductor to seal her doom was beginning to unfold. Allowing Adramelech to restart it's charging process, Budo prepared to use his Teigu's trump card.

 _ **Solid Shooter.**_

"I grow weary of this, Budo. Time to die, Great General." Darting straight towards him, Esdeath's excitement peaked as she prepared to claim her prize that she had waited ages for. Levitating himself up the dark skies, Budo aimed Adramelech straight at the Ice Queen's flight path as she ascended up to him. "Today, the Empire is freed from Tyrants, Despots and Madmen!"

" _SOLID SHOOTER...!_ " Releasing the devastating wave of _Black lighting_ from Adramelech's gauntlets, intending to distract Esdeath into defending against it as she came over to him, to ensure his plan's success. Budo's expectations were met, as the Ice Queen defended herself by generating one formidable Ice Shield against the Great General's dark destructive energy wave. His stoic eyes perceived her going for the kill, only for him to raise his gauntlets in defense against the blade that came to pierce his flesh. Activating the Teigu to send electricity through her blade at light speed, Budo's plan was foiled as she used...

 ** _"Mahapadma...!"_**

In the single set of instances that Budo's entire body was frozen in time, General Esdeath had already destroyed his Teigu by skewering with her hand alone and then severed all of his limbs straight from his body. Unfreezing time, allowing Budo to gain his senses and realize the grim sad reality of the situation. Esdeath couldn't help herself from grinning widely at him, as his eyes looked back in unmistakable horror as he began to fall to the ground below. The Ice Queen had been positively painted in his blood, providing one last downward kick to the Great General's torso to finish him off.

Successful in breaking many of the defeated man's ribs, having heard them crush horribly under her heel. "Victory belongs to the strongest, it's winner takes all and I take what I win."

Slowly bleeding out from his injuries whilst laying on the cracked streets of their battleground, Budo kept his teeth tightly together to avoid yelling out in anguish at his pain, loss and hopelessness. Glaring intensely at the Ice Queen, immense disgust in his eyes. "You'll never get what you want, Ice Witch."

"Whatever do you mean, hm? I've already got what I want." Wiping abit of the Great General's wet blood from her skirt, Esdeath proudly held her head high as she relished the victory that she had earnt. Holding her blade to Budo's throat, as an deterrent against spurting any notably hurtful words as she wanted to enjoy this moment without interruption. "Those who live by the sword- Will eventually perish by it, you fool."

"I am fully aware of that fact, old man." Esdeath scoffed at him, completely ignoring his wisdom as she dismissed it as loser's bitter remarks. "Now, stay still."

"Gaaaaaugh!" Budo screamed out in agony, losing his grip on his teeth that tried to keep steady hold of the pain. The newly crowned Great General froze her predecessor's bleeding stumps at the ends, to prevent blood loss then eventually death as she wanted to publicly execute Budo infront of the Empire in one of her arenas. As she finished, Esdeath's eyes saw plenty of Budo's Imperial Guards hiding in the surroundings. They clearly wanted to do something to help their leader but, of course, were smart enough to avoid invoking the Ice Queen's rage.

"Warriors of the Empire, come forth...! I, General Esdeath, lay claim to the illustrious title of Great General." Stepping her heel unto Budo's already shattered ribcage, she called out to those hiding away. Taunting them to come closer and act on their desires.

"I will accept any challenges to my claim, without refusal...! If you deem me unworthy then face me!" It was then, straight out of nowhere, somebody actually _did._

It was one of the newly recruited Imperial Guards, from his height alone, it was clear that he wasn't any older than sixteen. "We'll never accept you, Esdeath! The Imperial Guard was built on Great General Budo's principles, all you believe is wanton slaughter and violence!"

Having tight grip on his raised weapon, his words were filled with youthful defiance and notions of injustice.

"As long as there's good honest people in the world, your evil will never flourish-" Cutting his heroic speech short, by flinging her already blood coated sword straight into the boy's tiny throat, sticking him into the ground below. Esdeath's eyes glanced across, left to right and then back again to the rest of the lurking soldiers in the crowd. Budo had already fallen unconscious by this point, in fairness, Esdeath waited five total minutes until she deemed that nobody in the crowd wanted to follow the young soldier's example. All of her sadistic urges at their peak, she gave her first order as Great General of the Empire.

"Now that is settled, your Commander is dead. You serve me now, so bring the traitor's body to the Palace to be held there." Walking past Budo, Esdeath took her sword from the dead boy's throat, pressing her heel unto his chest to pull it out as it had embedded itself quite deeply into the surface. "I will not tolerate any insubordination, so hop to it."

As her newly acquired lackey's hurried to furfill the command, Esdeath absentmindedly gazed up to the Palace as she felt the thawing loneliness in her heart, she wanted Tatsumi. It hurt her deeply to be without him, especially when she now held the authority to remove anyone that spoke out against him from power if not life itself. She wanted to be praised, held and kissed. If it weren't for Budo, she'd be receiving such without reservation. So, as Budo was being carried away.

She _vowed_ to prolong his suffering for as long as she possibly could, as she had done before several times. Meanwhile, Esdeath felt no presence coming from the other General that she had seen in the background. Which was vastly curious, as she still felt Kurome and Seryu's life signs plain as day, then she felt her child's own as Esdeath noted they were nearby. Realizing that they weren't just close, they were coming closer.

Esdeath leapt skyward to the nearest perch, observing Makoto visibly leaping from ruined structure from ruined structure straight to her location. As they reunited ath same spot, she immediately took ahold of her child and strongly pulled him tightly into her chest. She had already cleaned up alot of the blood from her uniform by freezing the liquid solid before simply doing away with it. Esdeath stood in silence, as she noted Makoto wasn't returning the embrace. Greatly annoyed by this, she took his hands and forced them around her own waist then kept them there to put the point across before resuming with her own cuddle.

"You did brilliantly today, sweetie. I saw it all, every action you made." She whispered quietly into Makoto's hair as she leaned closer over him. Widely praising him. Even so, the Ice Prince maintained his silence simply nodding in response as Esdeath's frustration slowly but surely arose. She wasn't getting the affection that she craved, just bitter rejection. What was worse, and above all else confusing to her was that Makoto was the source of the rejection, not Tatsumi. He had always been receptive to her motherly ways before, had something changed inside him to cause these nonsensical actions, if so then what?

"Talk. To. Me." She stated individually for emphasis, receiving what she wanted, but again differently as she expected. "General Agotian is being held in your custody, Mother." Makoto explained, extremely nonchalantly.

That was the last straw for Esdeath, as she strongly took ahold of Makoto by the waist lifting him up effortlessly. Keeping him eye level, as his familiar green eyes naturally kept alot of her anger at bay. Currently glaring at him, refusing to let him go. As she increased her hold on him, Makoto making no effort to escape her grasp. Esdeath's tone was filled with pain, as she herself reflected on the day's events. "Honey, it's been a very rough day for the two of us..."

"But it's only going to get worse for you, if you act so stubbornly." Apart of Esdeath figured that Tatsumi was finally beginning to rub off on Makoto, which was highly unlikely but even so. She couldn't comprehend dealing with two versions of himself that sought to rebel against her wishes. That was unthinkable.

"I know, sorry Mother." Makoto spoke up, as Esdeath's tense facial expressions began to mellow down. Attaching her resting longsword sword to her belt, she adjusted her child's positioning in her arms to be wrapped up with them against her body instead of merely dangled. Partly satisfied with his response, she began following after the convoy holding Budo's body, to ensure it's safe return to the Palace by leaping from house to house. "Don't make a habit of it, understood?."

"...Understood."

"Good, I will not tolerate being given the cold shoulder by somebody I gave life too."

As the Ice Queen flew beautifully through the air carrying her spawn. She devoted part of her thought process to the future, whilst Night Raid didn't pose as much threat as they used to. She still required the Jaegers to act as the backbone of her forces, however she hadn't paid any mind to replacing the Three Beasts group that she previously made.

They had been wiped out, by Night Raid, afterall.

Perhaps it was time to do so, she thought. As she would have vastly more reach as the Great General of the Empire. She knew that more skilled individuals were needed to spread her influence across the Empire, and she already had eyes on few capable individuals at that. On that line of thoughts, she had one particular female operative in the Western Regions currently harvesting various different types of Danger Beast blood to experiment with. The scouting activity was largely invoked by Esdeath's curiosity with the nature of her own powers, thus saw it abit of an worthy venture to look into.

With the world at her heels, Esdeath came utterly ecstatic at the thought of transforming the Empire into the very idea of warfare and conflict.

 **Whew, 8,240 thousand words in total...! That's the largest chapter thus far! By far! Anyway, unto the news! The Discord server is coming along very nicely, and it's been amazing to talk with some of you about the story and just generally talk. When I made the server, I intended for it to be my gateway to you, and I decided to reward the first five people that entered it with the esteemed honor of having their AGK OCs become characters for the story.**

 **Now, before you say anything at all. I DO have one legitimate reason for this, personally, I don't feel confident in creating OCs unless I have no choice for the plot, or if they're strongly tied to pre-existing characters. (Like, Makoto, duh!)**

 **So, basically. This way, I can have fan involvement whilst having a larger variety of characters to keep the story fresh and ongoing!**

 **Now, OCs below are!**

 **"Nash."** **\- This one belongs to one of the Server's very own moderators, he'll have alot of involvement with Wave's story!**

 **"Fate." - This is the after mentioned "Operative" that Esdeath mentioned, she is hard to explain but she belongs to "Esdeath/Seryu" in the Discord...!**

 **"Abduin." Now, this character is one that I'm greatly excited to write about as his Teigu has dangerous possibilities, he's Shanks21's OC!**

 **"Kraygar" Belongs to, uhm, Kraygarr? Hey, I won't lie. That is one pretty sweet name, so it gets a pass. Kraygar really likes axes, that's all I will say.**

 **"Rogers." Now here's the best bit, he hasn't been mentioned at all...! But he's been in plenty scenes, lurking in the background~ He is Ooze96's OC.**

 **Thanks, be sure to review! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	19. Chapter 19 - The Weight of the World

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

It hadn't even been six whole days since Great General Budo's devastating defeat, and the greatly increased workload of her newly acquired position was gradually getting to Esdeath's level of tolerance. Which, mind you, was extremely high as it is. Martial Law was currently in place, causing tight lockdown of the Capital's borders and higher focus on Military Checkpoints in the City to avoid Revolutionaries seeking through the city in disguise. Strict curfew was also in place, meaning anyone that didn't carry proper valid identification and legitimate reason for being out late at night, were hauled away to the Palace to await intensive interrogation without question.

Meanwhile, written formal letters were addressed to every notable warrior in the Empire, delivered by Imperial Couriers, to pledge their allegiance to the new Great General, the Ice Queen Esdeath.

Refusal to attend nor able to provide suitable excuse for the delayed attendance, was grounds for investigation into treason, or if not then treason outright.

As expected, they came by the dozen. Esdeath overseeing these Military Interviews at the Palace daily, most of the attendees were smart enough to willingly pledge themselves before her cold hard gaze whilst few foolish others acted out against her and completely refused to acknowledge Esdeath as their new Commander-in-Chief only to be dragged away kicking and screaming to the Torture Chambers. The Ice Queen had taken it upon herself to utterly eradicate the trace's of Budo's tainted influence from the Military entirely, as by her mindset, his ways had held alot of the Empire back from achieving it's destined greatness.

She had acutally begun purging the sympathetic members of her own forces, too. Acknowledging the resentment that they held for Tatsumi, since when she returned to their quarters after Budo's defeat to check on him, she shook violently in disgust without words upon discovering the corpse laying beside the bed that she shared with Tatsumi. The dagger laying on the ground, Tatsumi himself alive thankfully. Esdeath wasted no time performing one full autopsy, or post-mortem examination in her room. Dissecting the man into bloody pieces with bare hands, trying to find exactly what killed him. To Esdeath's trained eyes, it was utterly impossible for the cut on his back to have been the source of his death. It wasn't deep enough, so blood loss wasn't in the question.

Then, pulling the man's perfectly intact rib cage apart, sending pieces of bone flying everywhere. Esdeath noticed slight abnormalities in the chest cavity, finding what she sought, the Ice Queen tore the heart from the man's chest. Observing it, as the bleeding organ naturally bled everywhere. Freezing the corpses's face solid, Esdeath violently slammed her fist into it to shatter the visage into pieces.

 _Akame of Night Raid had been here_ , she seethed.

Acknowledging that Tatsumi had been willfully spared by her greatest enemy, Esdeath's frustration arose as she pondered on the fact that if Akame hadn't been so foolish as to allow Tatsumi to live. Then she would have been grieving at this moment over him, and Makoto wouldn't exist. She'd be completely alone, again. It was then that Esdeath understood abit more about what Tatsumi giving himself over to her meant for him, everyone wanted him dead aside her alone and the meager select few.

She was his only _true_ ally. And in time, she'd make him realize that.

In the recent days that had passed, Esdeath had completely thrown herself into enjoying her new level of acquired power. Her sadistic tendencies in full swing as she had the former Great General's loyal attendants, servants and even family members rounded up from their homes like animals to be executed. Every single one of them, largely innocent, but Esdeath had no care for that. It was apart of her vow to see Budo suffer immensely as she ensured the information of their demise was accordingly passed unto him, by graciously giving him literal infront row seats to the ends of their sad little lives in her arenas as they were cut down by her men.

She repeated this process, several more times with every unfortunate member of his Imperial Guard that refused to bend their knee to her authority.

Aside from the horrific amounts of torture that Esdeath had subjected him to, it was these sights that caused more pain to his mind than anything she could do in the Torture Chambers. Since, Budo was already quadriplegic as intended by Esdeath's sick sense of amusement. She knew that taking away Budo's hands, his legs and his loyal soldiers would completely strip him of any meaningful connection to his past as the fierce warrior that he once was.

It became apparent when Budo noticed that none of his former soldiers could hardly bare to look at him, when they took him back to his filthy cell.

It wasn't just Esdeath's intention to make Budo pay for his misdeeds against her family that urged her to embrace sadism, Tatsumi hadn't regained consciousness from his coma, which needless to say urged the Ice Queen onwards in her destructive ways. But according to the Imperial Doctors stationed at the Palace and the accompanying Physicians, he was constantly slipping in and out of consciousness at random intervals. Not only that, they also explained that if Tatsumi's body stayed comatose for a longer period of time, he'd risk losing alot of his built up muscle from atrophy caused by the inactivity.

To witness Tatsumi's beautifully built body wasting away before her eyes, was beyond forgiveness.

When additionally questioned by Esdeath in regards to means to avoid that eventuality, they explained that frequent regular massages of his inactive limbs would lessen the physical toll on his hurt body when the Jaeger awoke, if so.

Of course, Esdeath had already been taking care of every single one of Tatsumi's needs herself anyway. When Tatsumi's body required cleaning then she simply carried him into the reasonably large bathtub that she owned alongside herself. Perfectly safe from any risk of drowning in the water by resting in her gentle loving but unmistakably tight embrace, as he slept unresponsive to her as her gentle hands came over him to rid the dirt from his body. Esdeath spent practically all of that time, quietly whispering into his ears, words of love and devotion. Nuzzling against her boy's head with her chin, enough to cause some friction from the movement.

Before this, Esdeath only took showers once per day, but she took the opportunity to increase that to two baths per day for Tatsumi's sake.

Whenever her mate required nourishment, Esdeath referred to the strict timetable that she had created to reference when he required such, having eagerly taken to it. Feeding Tatsumi, all kinds of delicious food in his comatose state. She stuck with simple soup at first, feeding him as per usual with wooden spoons. Only to become largely unsatisfied with the amount of nutrients contained in the soups that she fed him, steadily moving unto solid foods that whilst presenting one clearly dangerous choking hazard...

It worked a treat for Esdeath's own unique twisted mindset, as she had no qualms about taking Tatsumi's solid hard food into her own mouth to chew first, ensuring that it wouldn't pose any threat to him. Exchanging the chewed contents of his meal through a passionate kiss, as she lifted his jaw to make way for her tongue. This eventually became the norm, even if Esdeath's Doctors had previously offered to install specialized feeding tubes into Tatsumi's body but naturally she refused.

As the days went by, Esdeath balanced her Imperial duties of being the Great General with the duties of being a parent, visiting Tatsumi as much as she could in his private room in her quarters.

Completely stonewalling Doctor Stylish's requests to allow him to mend the physical injuries of her lover with his Teigu, refusing secretly on the grounds that she didn't trust Stylish as it was plainly obvious to her that he'd much rather prefer gouging Tatsumi's eyes out with Perfector than healing him of his broken bones.

The matter of Makoto was another cause for frustration too, thankfully, much lesser than the others in her life at the time.

Considering Makoto had only been formally educated by her future counterpart, she took the liberty to arrange for a private instructor for him in the Palace. She knew the Emperor was already receiving lessons selected by Honest, so she decided to do the same too. Afterall, as Makoto explained whilst reading the books that she had given him when he first arrived at the Palace. She had only been able to teach him basic knowledge about the Empire, she taught him writing, reading and proper speech but that was practically all of it.

From the reports given upon the conclusion of every individual lesson as per requested, Makoto had done brilliantly in the first five lessons. Demonstrating a perfectly keen mind, sound logical reasoning abilities and the skill to deduce a variety of solutions to one singular problem. This, of course, caused Esdeath to gain one massive sense of pride in her child. He embodied alot of the quick-thinking skills that Tatsumi displayed that had won over her heart, so it was clear to Esdeath that siring children with Tatsumi in this timeline was something in particular that she was largely looking forward to, when Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army were eradicated.

And naturally, as Makoto explained himself too. Esdeath wouldn't be settling on just one child with her beloved mate, as the Future Esdeath often told her son that he'd have more siblings if circumstances were different.

As for the fates of General Agotian and General Morgana, she had spared them both in the end after much thought amongst herself. Originally, intending to kill Agotian upon the conclusion of his punishment for treason before noting that he'd be useful in keeping around as he was skilled in leading warriors into battle. Only letting him off with two trips to the Torture Chambers, to ensure his loyalty. Morgana on the other hand had explained herself in full whilst providing evidence of her small role in Budo's betrayal, and the fact that she largely played him like a damn fiddle. Finding amusement in that fact, Esdeath made no secret of it to Budo that he had been sold out to her before the battle between them had given begun, something he had already suspected during her visits to him.

Thus, General Morgana was allowed to keep both her position in the Empire and her Teigu, Spectator. Serving as apart of General Esdeath's newly assembled War Council of Generals and other important members of the Imperial Military including the Imperial Navy.

By Esdeath's own speculation, it'd only take a few more days until Budo's mind collapsed unto itself. When that occurred, she intended to present him to the Empire's cheering crowds to demonstrate what betraying the Empire truly meant, no mercy would be had to those that tried to destroy the foundations of their very home. As the Jaegers had done enough to warrant time off for themselves, she allowed them to do as they pleased until she requested them again. Wave and Kurome decided to take some time together to sort their relationship out, Seryu had gone to visit family and the Doctor Stylish took the ferry back to his personal island to conduct more research into the newly conceptualized Teigu Danger Beasts there, but he was kept behind in the Palace for the first few days of Tatsumi's recovery as Esdeath still respected the man's skills in medicine somewhat.

So, with the Jaegers gone from the Palace. Makoto secluding himself away in the Imperial Library, Esdeath was alone but she didn't overly mind this. Her son required space, she knew that and she was busy regardless. Currently sat in her quarter's study, reviewing battle reports of her forces with the Western Territories and overlooking the monthly Military spending budget.

New responsibilities that she wasn't really interested in before.

Pausing in her work, Esdeath closed her eyes and quietly focused on the beatings of Tatsumi's muted heart in the other room. Whilst she'd take business in her offices during the mornings and noon, in the afternoon and evening whatever business she still needed to do was to be held in her quarters. Preferring to stay close by Tatsumi, due to the fact Akame had ventured on her property, trying to _kill_ her property. Thus, whenever she heard the occasional knock on her double set of doors, she'd welcome them inside if they need to communicate privately in her study. Tatsumi's desk in the quarters had been strung untidily with recently opened letters, it wasn't often that Tatsumi received letters but considering he wasn't able to read any of them. Esdeath took it into her charge to do it for him, partly curious another part invading his privacy.

It wasn't much, just regular updates from Tatsumi's village by the Imperial Guardsmen stationed to protect it there and few requests by Imperial Nobles to meet with them over dinner. Which mind you, was largely brave considering Tatsumi's former reputation as apart of Night Raid but it wasn't that they were interested in him. It was Esdeath that they wanted to sway, realizing quite accurately that whomever treated Tatsumi well would be treated well in return by the Ice Queen.

The Prime Minister had extensively worked with Esdeath in the last six days, both of them working hard to reorganize the Empire's military as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Thankfully for Honest, the Emperor had came from the battle between Budo and General Esdeath unharmed. When she wasn't signing away paperwork on her desk, Esdeath was acting on Honest's orders to eliminate certain individuals suspected of treason against the Empire. Naturally, most were blameless but only guilty of supporting Budo's ideals without actually supporting him in any real official capacity.

This was because Prime Minister Honest had discovered documentation of Budo's plans for the Empire, detailing the altered structure of the Empire and it's composing membership that Honest had deviously used to wipe the slate clean of treason to maximum effect. By the end of it, anyone that would have supported Budo wholeheartedly that were discovered, were either currently awaiting execution in one of the Empire's Military Prisons or impaled with sharp spears of Ice from the Ice Queen herself.

The recent massacres weren't restricted to the people suspected of treason, but of people whom had actually committed treason itself without reservation as Esdeath was often gifted captured members of the Revolutionary Army by her men guarding the checkpoints of the Capital. The tight curfew had helped reveal alot of the insurgents as they tried to conduct themselves in the dead of night, as usual, only to be swarmed by the lurking Guardsmen lying in wait.

Taking her prizes in equal shares, Esdeath opted to split them evenly amongst herself. Leaving some to become drooling tortured pets of hers, for all sorts of entertainment when she wanted to satiate her wicked urges for violence. The rest would be given to Dr. Stylish for his experiments, deeming their bodies to be put as she said, " _To better use_."

Esdeath had sensed the presence of the three men coming close to her quarters before they managed to knock on the set of doors, allowing her time to stand up from the comfortable chair that she had been sat upon for two hours writing reports. Close the folder tightly, slide it into one of the under drawers of the desk with the rest of her completed paperwork and venture outside into the main room of her residence. Dusting her uniform abit, Esdeath gave one solid fixed glance to the room containing her sleeping Tatsumi, it was one reasonably sized room. No windows, and newly added reinforced floor coverings. It had simple decorations, but it was very sparse as it only contained the single bed that Tatsumi rested in, when it came to actual furniture.

Satisfied, she opened the double doors outwards as she was greeted by the visage of the three warriors that had been specially chosen by her during the initial interviews to become the next incarnation of her "Three Beasts" unit, to use when she wasn't comfortable with sending her Jaegers off to battle.

The figure in the center was medium height, with Esdeath standing about one single head taller than him. His most notable feature were the two predominantly black sclera in his grey blue eyes that invoked the sense of dread in those he met, aside Esdeath naturally. Across the left side of his eye, it'd be scarred in the way that mimicked Zigzag patterns having received it by the blade of an oddly designed sword. Formerly serving in the Imperial Navy, as Rear Admiral, Nash had suddenly left many years of active service when the crew of his line of ships came across the fabled S-Class Danger Beast, Leviathan, during one of the skirmishes with Pirates. Unknown to Esdeath at the time, Nash had actually been responsible for the mass destruction by using his Teigu also called Leviathan created from the creature, which itself was wrapped across his chest like a belt, to transform into the legendary creature to gain advantage over the enemy after harrowing losses at the cost of his higher brain functions to feral instinct. Only allowing the identification of friend or foe remaining in his mind to guide him to victory.

Reaching the same size as Esdeath herself was the tallest of the trio, Kraygarr whom had already built quite the bloodstained reputation for violence and combat. Having already beaten several of the arena challenges in the Capital, without breaking any sweats. Born in the south, to one of the tribes. Combat was everything to him, but much like Esdeath's own plight. His family were killed by one of the opposing tribes, leaving him alone in his tribe to grieve. In which grief became vengeance, which led him to wiping out everyone involved in his family's death. Coming across the Dual Axe Teigu, Crusaders of the Wolf, in his conquest. They had the effect of constantly pumping adrenaline into his system, as long as he held them with the intent to kill. Eventually, his blood lust became uncontrollable as the emptiness that came with his victory drove him to wipe out, his own tribe in return.

Leaving the south behind him.

He sought employment, and to serve the best. Leading him to the Empire, and eventually to Esdeath herself. In his early twenties, like Nash. Kraygarr sported brown neatly cut hair and piercing blue eyes. Being created for combat, his body was primed for battle and covered in tattoos that were largely traditional, his attire was traditional wear as expected as his Teigu Axes hung from his belt.

Lastly, being the most experienced and oldest of the group was Abduin. Born in the Island of Iskera, North of the Empire's domain. He worked as apart of the Navy in his hometown as Vice Admiral, serving it with fierce dedication for thirty years. It wasn't until fighting against the infamous group of Pirates known as the Red Beard Pirates that Abduin's distinguished career turned sour in the worst of ways. Losing his left arm, Abduin was forced to give up on his life at sea as performing the required tasks were borderline impossible to him. Unable to move on, he transferred to the Empire's capital upon hearing of job opportunities there by members of his former crew.

Taking this chance, Abduin arrived at the Capital. Only to discover the horrible corruption that lurked underneath the seemingly beautiful outer layer that had been presented to him through means of word. Not deterred by this, Abduin decided to make the most of the depressing circumstance by enlisting into the Military having used the remaining funds earnt in his previous Naval service to afford one of the lesser made crude looking artificial replacements. Reminding Esdeath of Liver in many ways, she had opted to assign Abduin as the commanding officer for her Three Beasts.

Abduin's bleached white hair naturally spiked upwards, his attire was a typical white longcoat similar to Tatsumi's own and that exposed his honed chest underneath it. His face could be described as being stern, cold but oddly gentle.

"Great General, we've arrived as requested. Pleasure to meet you properly, at least." Extending his artificial hand for a shake, Abduin warmly greeted his fearsome newly assigned superior as they stepped forward. "It is, do stay put."

Without any previous indication of her action, Esdeath took ahold of Abduin's artifical arm strongly with her own. Cleanly pulling it straight from his socket, with one violent tug as she closely examined the replacement in her hand. Abduin hadn't even managed to gasp, as Nash and Kraygarr exchanged silent glances in concern. Tossing it away to the corner of her room, as she remarked nonchalantly. "Crude, sluggish, ineffective and outdated..."

"Very ugly, too." She offhandedly remarked.

"You deserve better than second-hand trash, Abduin." Esdeath, placing one hand on her hip, waved the other whilst explaining before holding that one upwards to non verbally command them to remain put in place. As they did, their leader left for the study only to return ten seconds later with paper and pen in hand.

Directing them further into her quarters, so they weren't staying at the doorway.

"Nash, correct? Turn around, show me your back." Surprisingly having expected this, Nash turned around and leaned himself over at the exact angle that Esdeath required to write properly. Pleasantly surprised at his efficiency, Esdeath signed her signature neatly on the piece of paper before handing it to the sole remaining appendage that Abduin possessed. "Here, once you've been dismissed. Head to the Imperial Armory, with this they'll provide you exactly what you deserve."

"A state of the art... Fully functional artificial limb, and not to mention vastly superior." Speaking nonchalantly, Esdeath glanced to the two as Abduin pocketed the note. Clearly thankful for it, despite the abnormal means to address the issue that she had used. Observing the two warriors that stood in her presence, Esdeath couldn't help but admit that she was impressed by them. The previous Three Beasts were among her most bloodthirsty warriors, excellently trained and especially loyal.

"Now, for starters." Esdeath hardened her formerly disinterested tone, to correctly affirm that she wanted to be taken seriously. Which, naturally came easily to her as all three stood sharply. "I will address why I called you three to me, you will be made to serve my purposes."

"Oh, but don't worry." The Ice Queen's tone came as icy as her Teigu's powers. "I will reward you for your dedicated service, beyond every single one of your wildest dreams."

"As long as I can serve the strongest, I am content." Kraygarr added, speaking up from excitement causing Abduin to interject back. "Silence, Kraygarr. Our Commander isn't finished just yet."

"It is forgiven." Esdeath explained, not fussed at the remarks but instead overcome by the sense of familiarity as Daidara from the original incarnation of the Beasts had once said such upon coming into her service. She nonetheless continued her speech. "You will live inside the Palace, and will be given every protection that I provide for those under me."

"If you have family, say goodbye to them. You belong to me now, is that clear?" Folding her arms, she patiently awaited for their response. Fully prepared to send any one of them that refused, straight to the cells as she couldn't allow skilled Teigu users to hand into the hands of the Revolutionary Army.

"Of course, Great General Esdeath. My Teigu is yours to command." Abduin was the first to respond, bowing his head respectfully to her.

"Why, I couldn't dream of anything else better in my life!" Kraygarr roared, fist pumping in the wind. Laughing excitedly.

"My body trembles at the thought of serving you, Great General." Nash, whom had been quietly observing the two on his own accord, finally spoke up.

"Perfect. Now, kneel before me, so I may lay claim to your vows of service." The order went, Kraygarr first then Nash and finally Abduin as the Three Beasts were reborn back into the Ice Queen's service. Pulling her blade from the sheath, Esdeath knighted them with it. Placing the longsword back as quickly as it was released from it's cover. "Now, lift yourself from your knees."

"There is one last issue that I must address to you, as several of my subordinates have already run afoul in this regard... _Fatally,_ that is." The Trio immediately felt the lavishly decorated room's temperature drop suddenly, to freezing cold chills. Esdeath's facial features became hidden by her cap as she held it tightly. "You will eventually meet somebody called Tatsumi, he is my chosen partner. My mate, and I will not stand to tolerate any offhanded remarks, veiled threats and especially physical violence of any means."

As they were about to respond, with acknowledgement to the statement, Esdeath's dangerously threatening tone cut them off to continued for one last time. "And if any of you, touch a _single_ strand on my son's head then you'll quickly find yours placed unto one of many pikes outside of the Capital."

"Is that clea-"

"Absolutely, Great General...!" Abduin begun.

"Of course, I will give my life for them." Kraygarr seconded.

"I will blind my eyes of scorn, in regards to them." Nash finished.

"Excellent, perfect marks for your quick responses."

"We have work to do, and people to kill." Grinning widely to herself in satisfaction of the progress made, she observed as the Trio took to their proud stances once more. She had high hopes for this team, but she knew that battles against the Revolutionary Army were as unpredictable as they came. So, for better word, Esdeath was cautiously optimistic. "Very well, you are all dismissed."

"Speak with Lieutenant Rogers, they will direct you to your living space and accommodations." Dismissing them, as she turned to the side. Gazing towards the entrance to Tatsumi's location, she overheard the trio bidding farewells.

"To many years of service, Great General." Abduin inclined his head, saluting before leaving immediately afterwards. Kraygarr wearing his best bloodthirsty smile, left the quarters following behind Abduin. Nash whom was largely mysterious to Esdeath, shared a glance with her only to stroke the resting Leviathan across his torso as they left.

As it was late evening time, Makoto's curfew was due to expire soon. Knowing this perfectly well as expected, Esdeath walked over towards Tatsumi's room. Briefly stretching to avoid cramps in her limbs as she had been sat down for ages, as she reflected on the massages that she had heard of. Intending to use them soon, as she pushed open the doorway. Sweetly whispering Tatsumi's name...

"How are you, my adorable little Tatsumi~?" Only to discover him talking in his sleep, messily strung across the bed whispering somebody's name but hers. Somebody she knew _very very intimately_ indeed. " _M...Mine."_

 _"Uhhn..._."

"..." Staying absolutely still in her movements, Esdeath breathed out sharply to fully acknowledge the situation to ensure that she wasn't hearing things that weren't there.

"Why..."

"Why, Tatsumi?" Esdeath quietly let out, tightly clenching her fists together enough to cause bleeding in her palms.

"Why? Why do you still look to the past, they're dead." Staring maddeningly at Tatsumi's body, she drew closer to him.

"Why, haven't I already done enough for you?" Ice followed whenever she stepped, slowly covering the floor completely.

"Why can't you just accept that you _belong_ to me, Tatsumi." Scooping him up with her arms, pressing their foreheads together.

"...Even if you stubbornly refuse to acknowledge it, you are _mine and mine alone_." Then, she kissed him on the lips.

Esdeath's formidable level of restraint instantly failed her in this tense moment, she had been working tirelessly for the past six days in hopes of creating a future together with Tatsumi. One, she so desperately wanted. Even now, Esdeath ignored her instinctual self demanding that she strip Tatsumi naked and have him now. It had only been six days, but with each day that passed, Esdeath became more and more annoyed with the current state of affairs. In the past, as soon as she became aware of the pink sow that had taken Tatsumi's love, she entrusted her immediate capture to the same operative that recently returned to the Capital from the Western Regions.

The Operative, known as Fate, had largely succeeded in her task to achieve this.

Of course, she hadn't returned without any injuries as she was positively battered by the battle with Night Raid's elite sniper. It was then, General Esdeath enacted her long awaited revenge against Mine in the Torture Chambers. Taking excessive effort to rid her of every feature that she felt Tatsumi loved. Receiving immense pleasure at viciously tearing apart every insult that was thrown her way, by retorting with insults of her own. Esdeath enjoyed detailing the intimate ways that she would satisfy Tatsumi in bed, trying to destroy Mine's resolve to break her entirely through verbal torture combined with the more literal version, eventually whilst drastic effort was required on Esdeath's part, two days of drastic effort...

She _succeeded_.

The mission itself was carried out, with complete secrecy, as Esdeath only intended for Fate to return empty handed as she took it quite literally when Fate requested to be given a mission of considerable worth to her. But in the slight chance that success struck... Tatsumi couldn't be made aware of it, as even now, he was blissfully unaware of his lover's role in his girlfriend's horribly prolonged death when Fate actually succeeded.

Esdeath knew that burning sparks of rebellion continued to burn in Tatsumi's heart, all they required were the right amount of fuel to ignite. For the sake of her life with him, she vowed to repeatedly cool down the flames with her ice before they overwhelmed him and drove him to do foolish things, like trying to escape or destroy the Empire.

But, as long as Esdeath kept thing as they were, everything would stay as it was... As they were _meant_ to be.

It was then that the Ice Queen recalled, how Fate had become one of her favourite specially crafted tools to use as without the woman's success in her mission then Esdeath doubted that she could have taken Tatsumi's heart as she had done, without even more effort.

"...I suppose I'll need to thank you properly, Fate." Esdeath murmured, as her acute sense of hearing picked up Makoto arriving at the door.

 **Slightly shorter than last chapter, so I do apologize but I wanted to get chapter nineteen out as soon as I could and sorry for the lack of dialogue too. Waaaaay too much stuff to explain in this one, whew. ^^**

 **I think I'll give myself some time to ponder on what's next for the future, so like 5-6 days tops, as I don't want my constant flow of chapters to come across as me spewing whatever pops into my head first without any consideration, I assure you!**

 **Anyhow, chapter nineteen marks the debut of the Fan submitted OCs! Aside Rogers, whom only received one passing mention. (For good reason, I swear!)**

 **I appreciate your reviews, favourites and follows! Don't feel bad to review if you've already reviewed once, I love hearing more from you guys. Especially when I hear that you've been inspired to write stories yourself as that's probably the greatest kind of praise around for me.**

 **See you in chapter twenty soon, and happy reading to you!**


	20. Chapter 20 - Tatsumi's Last Stand

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **It's only natural that Ice Prince's darkest chapter is also the longest one, read at your own risk!**

 **Time to put that M-Rating to use, yeah! (Seriously, things get very dark from here on out!)**

Two weeks quietly passed into Esdeath's reign as Great General as plenty more lives were continuously oppressed under her dominating heel. In the Eastern Territory of the Empire across the far outskirts of the Capital, Makoto and the Three Beasts traveled together on the orders of the Ice Queen. They were being sent to investigate about the lack of reports on the Path of Peace, since all discerning activities and written reports of the newly placed Imperial Infiltration Spy that replaced the assassinated Bolic, whom had been cut down with Murasame and hung by the throat with Crosstail respectively, had ceased entirely without any reported cause. The Jaegers had returned to the Palace aside Stylish who had requested additional leave of service, but they're assigned missions restricted them to the Capital by default as they were charged with the responsibility with helping the Imperial Guard control the ever-growing influx of refugees and citizens alike that passed through the gates of the expansive city day by day.

Stylish had only been able to acquire the extra time off by agreeing to one of Esdeath's demands, which were that she be given access to his island to build whatever she liked on it. Which Stylish assumed to be some form of Arena, unaware of her true intent on simply creating a residence for herself and her family as Esdeath kept fond memories of her first official "date" with her mate on the same island. The Danger Beasts inhabiting the island had been brought swiftly under control by Team Stylish too, so it largely wouldn't prove harmful to any workers there.

Let it be known that Esdeath only allowed Makoto to partake in the excursion to the Path of Peace's Headquarters due to her notable desire to see her son's strength bloom, despite clear cut concern for him. Not only that, the Path of Peace were wholly peaceful in nature as hinted by the name itself although they kept some strong warriors amongst their number but Esdeath knew that they'd pose no threat to either one of her forces.

Especially, her son.

As for the new members of the Three Beasts, they themselves had already proven their vast worth to the Ice Queen in the short amount of days since being reformed. Fulfilling every single of her demands to practical perfection, cutting down anyone that she wanted dead. And kidnapping the family members of anyone that she wanted to blackmail. Acting as bodyguards, enforcers and executioners to her whims. The Three Beasts were slightly different from the Jaegers, in that they were expected to fully devote themselves to Esdeath. They were able to keep personal items and mementos, but that was it. Everything they had, rightfully belonged to their Leader. In return for this, they were largely rewarded in that they were allowed to act as they pleased without any judgement during and after every battle with the enemy.

And as expected of them, they took swift advantage of this earned right by expressing their vices in equal shares between them.

Nash, the Wielder of the almighty Leviathan Teigu, was noted to often take great satisfaction in individually breaking the bones of the fallen on the battlefield with his own two hands alone to inflict gradual agonizing torment, snapping them apart with sickening loud crunches with eerily disturbing giddy delight. Even breaking his own fingers starting with index, cracking them before the quivering eyes of his current victim as if to make them, in his own words, _"Feel better."_ about the twisted situation they had found themselves in by sharing the pain. This depraved habit had caused plenty of Esdeath's otherwise hardened soldiers to violently vomit in disgust and repulsion upon observing this, as the loud sounds of frightened screaming were enough to cause horrible chills to travel down them but unfortunately for anyone trapped by Nash's crazed hold...

They were horrified to learn that he absolutely adored the sounds of their scared pained cries as it only drove him to quickly proceed unto mutilating them piece by piece before finishing them with one well executed neck snap to silence the deafening sounds.

Leaving the corpse to resemble a folding puzzle of sorts, twisted and distorted in an absurd number of ways.

Having witnessed this act with her own eyes, Esdeath was additionally surprised to learn from her Military Attendants whom had looked into his dubious background, that Nash had previously formed a pseudo-cult of sorts in dedication to her ideology in which proper full membership was strictly limited to solely himself as the rest of his obedient followers were blatantly used as cannon fodder against the Revolutionary Army and means for amusement when boredom struck. Having previously acted as a Archbishop in his own sordid cult, Nash found immense irony in opening up the Path of Peace's Headquarters for inspection as he'd have sacrificed untold amounts of his followers for the chance to do so earlier.

Let it be known, that Near Admiral Nash was in perfect mental form in the days before acquiring the Teigu.

The vices of the two other Beasts were, thankfully, less sinister than the Rear-Admiral's own. Due to his Teigu's bloodlust inducing effects, Kraygarr often found himself accidentally injuring friend and foe alike midst battle, one time even requiring General Esdeath to knock him unconscious with one restrained boot to the side of his head upon escaping the restraints of her soldiers. Having begun to try and overcome this flaw, Kraygarr merely opted instead for violently hacking apart the fallen bloodied corpses that laid messily across the war-torn battlefield in untold numbers by secluding himself away from anyone whom kept a pulse.

When away from battle, Kraygarr liked to entertain the soldiers that served Esdeath's fierce legions with stories of his conquests in his former tribe. Always ensuring to omit and leave out the part about killing a Imperial General who previously owned the Crusaders of the Wolf to avoid causing hostility to emerge in his leader's ranks. Despite this, Esdeath herself was fully aware of Kraygarr's previous assassination of the deceased Imperial General and instead of punishing him for the murder. Took to rewarding him with private training sessions, to allow him to master the Teigu properly. Acknowledging that it wasn't revealing every secret to it's Master just yet.

Lastly, Abduin's dark desires were unannounced in many ways but present. With his age, he knew that anyone that stood against the Empire's might stood against it for their own personal reasons. Despite deeming them to be misguided and foolish, he pitied them greatly as much as he was allowed to. He always ensured their deaths were swift, clean and relatively painless. There were still plenty of exclusions to this code of honour, however as whenever Abduin found himself on the opposite side of somebody who relished the pain that they conflicted akin to Esdeath's own delighted mannerisms or if they were turncoats. He spared no effort in making them realize the full harrowing implications of their decision to oppose the Empire by shedding all of his former merciful behavior to savagely beat them into submission.

Being a firm supporter of Budo's reformation policies, in secret that is. Abduin tried his best to avoid nonprofessional contact with his leader as he greatly admired Esdeath's intelligence, if anything else of her otherwise sadistic personality. Intending to use his position as the leader of the Three Beasts to gradually move close to Honest, whom he deemed as the source of the corruption in the Empire as Budo once had done himself.

"Don't falter now in your paces, we're close to the target." Makoto informed, slight excitement in his quiet voice, leading the following Three Beasts from the front. Whilst having left Incursio back at the Capital, Makoto instead kept firm grip on a unsheathed Nodachi with the sheath resting on his back. Typically used by Eastern Warriors, as he had come across the sword upon reading about it inside the Imperial Library in the Palace. Taking interest, he requested one of them to use for the mission as such request was shortly granted by his Mother.

"Ugh, I should've known that eventually we'd be fightin' Priests and Monks instead of actual honed warriors like normal." Kraygarr lowly stated, disappointed. "We're purely investigating their activities for the moment, Kraygarr." Abduin added.

"We can carve happy smiles on their faces, if they're turncoats." Nash excitedly interjected afterwards, scratching his hair partly. "You all may do as you please, if that is the case."

"But spare the leader if you can, he's been marked down for interest." His accompanying trio were wearing the predominantly black uniforms of their unit, marked with symbol of the Partas clan as usual. The Ice Prince however was outfitted with his Mother's own style of uniform, refashioned to fit him properly. Including his own longcoat wrapped around his shoulders, white Military cap and tall black boots to complete the look.

His collarbone being exposed, akin to Esdeath, to allow for his markings to be seen by the naked eye.

"Roger that, Boss." Kraygarr closely examined his Teigu Axes, replying shortly after. "My cooperation in that is guaranteed, yup!"

"The Leader's abilities also have my interest." Abduin stroked his chin, as he walked onwards.

In the small boy's defense, it wasn't his own choice to dress like this. Esdeath herself had forced it on him shortly before they departed, having been largely tempted into it shortly after their stroll around the Palace during the signing of the adoption papers, many days prior. The Three Beasts had already expressed their own individual thoughts about this, as whilst they had already encountered the Ice Queen's spawn. They hadn't exactly seen him as he were now, practically mirroring their calculating leader in every single way.

For Nash and Kraygarr. He was absolutely adorable beyond words, but to Abduin's own secretly horrified eyes... Makoto didn't represent the triumphant expressions of virtue, eternal glory in bloody battle and the absolute undeniable power that his swayed comrades felt as they gazed upon him. But to him, the end of the world as he knew it. The child already seeped and radiated strength without any evidence of the former aside from his uncanny resemblance to General Esdeath. To Abduin, himself and the two other Beasts appeared much stronger physically than the little dressed up boy but contrary to that shaky belief as he knew so himself, Makoto was filled with sleeping lurking potential.

They all arrived at the location of the Headquarters at nightfall, Makoto having immediately powerfully leapt from his position on the ground straight skyward to the tallest perch of the Path of Peace's tall but relatively unguarded fortress built from stone as the rest of them swiftly halted in their places, they already knew the plan of action as explained before. Using his trained Sixth Sense, Makoto was able to verify nobody in the fortress was capable of putting up any worthy fights with any of them.

"Hm, weaklings... All of them, every last one of clear insignificance." He murmured in silence, slightly in bitter disappointment before back-flipping downwards, leaping from the perch to land beside the Three Beasts. "They pose no threat to my Mother's intentions, do as you will."

"Good news. Then we'll proceed with our mission, Young Master." A thankful Abduin spoke, to which Kraygarr merely groaned in obvious disinterest.

"The Path of Peace, they use religion to spread goodwill...? Tch, such killjoys! I mean, least when I ran my own church, we had parties every single tuesday."

Aside Makoto, who kept moving towards the main entrance, composing of two large wide doors. Kraygarr and Abduin kept their eyes on Nash.

"Sure, somebody... Actually, alot of people ended up dying at them!" He continued, clearly caught up in his own rants. "No, wait. Oh, yes! That was the whole point of the parties, silly me!"

A collective sigh was heard, as they caught up with the smaller boy whom ominously lifted a single hand skyward, as minor but notable thundering earthquakes began to tremble across the ground itself. They could see countless windows of the Path's fortress immediately brighten up in reaction to this, having felt this themselves with the cause of the earthquakes revealing themselves from the ground below. A perfect circle of Ice Walls surged upward, all at once, tall enough to match the walls surrounding the Capital itself. They'd be a distance away from the Fortress, but they would prevent any escape from it unless they could fly, which wasn't realistic at this time.

They were completely encircled.

"Let it be known, if they oppose Mother then they'll be no escape for them." Makoto said, slowly lowering his hand to observe his work. "Before the Revolutionary Army's decline, they were trying to negotiate a truce with the Path of Peace. They are already suspected of treason, so they will be judged as traitors until proven otherwise."

"Hmph, understood." Abduin stood trying to observe the mayhem unfolding in the Fortress's lit windows, holding his own Teigu, which resembled a cane of sorts. It's abilities unknown to every single one of them, including the Ice Prince.

"You got it, boss." Kraygarr began striding to the entrance, as members of the Path of Peace began opening the wide doors of the fortress to greet the visitors.

"As much as I dislike cuttin' down Church sissies, my axes haven't tasted blood for a whole day." He continued.

"Then if they stand against us, I can assure you that you're thirst will be quenched with their flowing blood."

"Now, let us proceed." Makoto finished, gesturing them to continue with the approach onwards.

With Kraygarr spearheading the advancing forward movement to the gates, grinding his axes together enough to cause visible sparks. They'd noticed the Lord of the Path of Peace himself standing in wait at the entrance surrounded by thirty of his own guards. Which was notably odd, as he was the exact person that they were looking to question about the whereabouts of their informant. Either he was awfully brave, or awfully stupid. To the Ice Prince, he was both in equal amounts. But, as he had been previously briefed on the Lord's supposed abilities of far-sight and his mysterious Danger Beast blood.

"Halt, state your business...! Oh, Lord...!" The Chief Guardsman cried out, raising his weapon, stopping suddenly as he recognized the Partas clan symbol that Esdeath used for her forces on their uniforms. Realizing exactly whom they were dealing with, he'd loosen his formerly tight grip on his pole staff. "My apologies, sirs! Please, we mean no harm to you... The Lord wishes to speak with you."

"Indeed, I do." The Lord stepped forward, as he waved the rest of his terrified guards away. They held no Teigu, nor notable power as Makoto did the same. Letting the Three Beasts rest at ease, as Abduin watched the Lord with interested eyes. "I have foreseen your arrival, dear child. What is your business here, might I ask?"

To answer his line of questionings, Makoto halted from that as he observed the Lord's kind facial expressions growing gradually from partly confused to increasingly terrified. The Lord stepped backwards, requiring several of his followers to steady his poise. Unknown to Makoto and everyone gathered around, what the Lord had witnessed before his eyes was the glimpses of the horrible future that awaited them all, the boy's future. Calamity brought upon the world by countless hordes of Danger Beasts modified to dangerous extents beyond reasonably possible. Completely lacking any ethics, mercy nor reason. Simplemindedly focused towards the complete annihilation of any lifeforms that didn't resemble their own kind.

But that wasn't the end of his twisted visions, what came next in his wide eyes caused the Lord to fall straight down on his knees. Panting heavily, as his followers came widely confused and startled. The newer vision was comparably more horrifying to the gentle Lord's shaken mind, illusionary flames swirled violently around the young boy's position as they consumed him to reveal a much more different version of the boy that once was, when they faded from him and continued to consume the world around him. Notably taller than before, complete with mature facial features that could be described as eerily handsome, his sad narrowed emerald eyes pierced the Lord. Flowing long blue hair descending from the back of his head with bangs failing down from his forehead.

The boy had become a man, a unmistakable adult within' an instant.

The sorrowful expression on the man's face grew into one of clear unmistakable spite.

"Don't look so sad..." The mysterious man in the vision called out to the Lord, surprised at the ability to interact with the illusion. "For I will take the world into my arms, and reform it into beauty. I will mend the carnage caused by the abominations and bring life back to the planet..."

"From the ashes of the ruined world, one shining future will arise. Led by a supreme authority, a God of human origin."

"How.. Can you..." The Lord muttered, completely and utterly broken from this sight. "Now, _Die._ " Leaping straight at the Lord, preparing to decapitate him cleanly and remove his head straight from his shoulders. The vision ended, as the Lord of the Path of Peace fell back unto his knees. Resuming back into reality, as he realized exactly thirty sharp Icicles were floating in the midst of the air aimed directly at each and every one of them.

A few meters away, but honed into their location.

"That's two, if I reach five then you'll all perish anyway." Makoto announced, as the Lord saw two corpses laying messily on the floor. Their heads had been completely pierced by Ice thicker than a fully grown man's arm. Destroying the brain, and hollowing the skull out. Brain-matter and fluids were everywhere, as a few Guards around them were covered in their comrade's splatter too. Horrified, they had already started the killing in the Lord's absence. "My Lord, what should we do?!"

"What are our orders, My Lord?"

"Should we hand them over to the Empire, what is it what you want us to do?!"

"Just try and fight back, come on!" Kraygarr yelled, as the Guards glared at him scornfully. "We've got our sights locked, and ready to fire."

"I grow tired of these games, I will repeat my request for you to hand over the Revolutionaries that you are hiding away." The Ice Prince announced, folding his arms over his chest as his expression was now positively annoyed. He'd glance towards Kraygarr and wave another hand, as one of the Beast's axes suddenly came hurling towards the Guard standing directly close to the Lord.

"That's three." He counted, as the Axe soon flung itself back from between the man's bleeding caved in forehead and straight into it's Master's waiting hand whom wiped the blood from the blade. "She is quenched, as you promised, Young Master!"

"Now, I can always let one of my associates do away with your fourth. Nash is awfully good at breaking the bones of his victims, in size order, may I add."

Everyone on the opposite end, immediately shuddered. They had numbers on their side, but they were against four skilled Teigu Users that were from Esdeath's legion specifically. Even if they somehow managed to secure victory, the Ice Queen herself would eventually come to claim revenge. Unwilling to flee from their Lord, as much as they wanted to, they stood their ground on shaking legs.

This was the reason why nobody tried to joke about the youth's appearance, being akin to the Great General herself.

At this time, Makoto glanced towards Nash as the Rear-Admiral returned the look. Immediately stepping forward to find the target that he had been glaring at, since they arrived. The weakest of the bunch, a small recently recruited adolescent at the ages of roughly twenty years. Nash made strides, as the others around his target pulled away from him. It was then, a miracle happened for the Path of Peace's guards as the Lord snapped from his catatonic state of mind to shout.

"...Enough, you've made your point clear!" He swallowed deeply. "We'll hand over the Revolutionaries, they're inside the Fortress, in the guest quarters... You can take them back to your Leader and the Empire, but don't kill anymore of our fellowship."

"That won't be required, I merely want your cooperation with the Empire. You will cut ties with the Revolutionary Army, and assist the Empire in bringing them to justice." Makoto announced, as he'd direct the Three Beasts to the inside of the Fortress with a hand gesture as he remained with the Lord. A section of the Guards followed the beasts, as the leftovers stayed with the Lord. "You'll have it, I swear to you... The Revolutionary Army has lost support from the Western Tribes, and now without us... They're completely finished."

"Exactly right, as Mother intended. Once you've betrayed them, they will be forced to disband entirely. You'll be made to sign a contract with the Empire, of course." Makoto laughed triumphantly, as he formed a basic Ice throne from memory behind himself as he fell unto it without looking at it's positioning on the ground. Folding his leg across the other whilst resting his head on his fist. Watching the kneeling Lord with subtle but notable satisfaction. "The future isn't yours to give or take, that right belongs to me. Exclusively."

"And your lackluster power cannot change what is already written, only those destined to control their own fate may do so. Puppets will always be subject to their own accursed ends."

"But don't fret, friend. The Empire will be merciful to you, as the Path of Peace drives the populace onwards in it's own ways. You serve use, and that use has spared your lives and that of your religion... Be grateful to your betters."

Inside the Fortress, the Three Beasts had already detained the Revolutionaries hiding away with relative ease. They were under the impression that they were safe, which made them easier to capture for the Beasts. Restraining the Revolutionaries with chains, they let Kraygarr watch over them as Abduin and Nash descended into the Dungeons to find their informant.

"So, whatcha think of the kid, eh?" Nash asked. "He's bright, but way too devoted to the Ice Queen." Abduin remarked.

"And we aren't, you got that head screwed on properly? I can take a look if you want." Nash replied back.

"No, I'm perfectly sane. What I'm scared about is that he's not." Abduin affirmed strongly as they opened the door to the cells. Seeing the sole captive in his cell, as he suddenly rose up from his shackles to cry out. "Listen to my words, hear me! I am have been unjustly imprisoned, I am the Lord's devoted servant, you cannot do this!"

"I demand to be released, and allowed back into the Lord's kind embrace!" His compassionate rant continued, as he struggled against the bars.

"Release me at once, I say...!"

"You're our Imperial informant, correct?" Abduin cut him off swiftly. "Huh...? Oh, thank god! I can stop putting on that goddamn stupid persona, honestly."

"It was practically killing me, I didn't train for seven months in Imperial Infiltration Camps to be shafted with fucking church duty." The man immediately dropped the preachy persona, as he waited for the bars to be unlocked. When they were, he stepped out and watched Nash break the shackles on his wrists, that kept them tightly together.

"Jeez, I've been stuck in here for three weeks and you only just arrive." Rubbing his wrist, the spy spoke as they'd respond in kind. "The Imperial Military is currently undergoing reformations, and cleansing. Great General Budo is dead, and you've been on the bottom of our list of priorities." Abduin mentioned, professional in tone.

"Oh man, you should've seen his execution. Esdeath really took her time with him, by god...! I wish I could've taken photos, Budo's intestines were flying everywhere." Nash chuckled, as he rubbed his eyes due to the dim light making him tired.

"Awfully harsh, but it's about time somebody kicked that upright pointy haired douche-bag from his comfy perch." Walking out of the cells, the two Beasts followed closely as their mission was complete. All that was to be done was to reunite with their young Commander and return to the Capital with the good news.

Elsewhere in the Capital, in the poorer districts.

Leone eased herself into one of her regular bars, to gather rumors and naturally enjoy herself for her hardwork. The bar in question being the exact same one that Tatsumi himself had visited ages ago. Due to the lack of faith in the Revolutionary Army's success, she hadn't nearly done as many jobs as she would've before. Not only that, Esdeath had already executed anyone that they would've taken down further along the line. Whilst the military's reformation seemed like a excellent chance to score some hard blows to the Empire, they weren't currently in the position to do so as the Revolutionary Army was facing mass desertion and now were cut off from communication with the Path of Peace for unknown reasons.

"What can I do for you, sweetie?" Joanna asked, smiling warmly as she wiped the bar counter at Leone sat near down. "Just anything strong enough to make me forget, thanks."

"What's the matter, hm?"

Leone sat in silence, for several minutes until she finally relented as Joanna wasn't backing down from her polite questioning.

"I don't usually blabber my problems to complete total strangers, trust me. Well, there's this guy... Who I literally marked as my own, but..." Leone trailed off as she waited for her drink, leaning against her fist with a sad expression of grief. "I feel like I don't know him anymore, he's so far away from me now."

"Just months ago, he was the very definition of heroism. Stupid heroism, but heroism nonetheless."

"Months ago..." Leone thought back to their last encounter and final moment as sworn allies.

The past, at Tatsumi's ill-fated last Stand against the Empire's might.

"Haul ass, Leone! Move it, don't make me toss you over that hilltop!" Tatsumi, currently wearing Incursio, that looked positively battered and dented. Cracks everywhere in the armor's once pristine frame. A mission gone horrible wrong due to false information had led Akame, Tatsumi and Leone straight into a trap set up by the Empire.

Exactly, five thousand trained Imperial Soldiers from General Esdeath's legion, the worst possible outcome imaginable.

"Get off my ass, Tatsumi...! I'm movin' as fast as I can!" Leone growled at him, using her Teigu to increase her speed. Currently holding Akame's wounded unconscious body, in a piggyback. "How's Akame, is she hurt? We're outnumbered, we were tricked by another goddamn Spy!"

"She's still kickin' stubborn ol' gal, I'll give her that."

Tatsumi and Leone ran across the Canyon as fast as they could, only to stop suddenly as explosive cannonball fire rang loudly as the resulting shots made craters meters away from their position. They could see the entire Imperial Military Army running after them, carrying rifles and swords. Cannoneers readied at the top of the Canyon, with clear sight on them. Tatsumi instinctively stood infront of Leone, as he looked back at her holding Akame. The leftside of his face was seen when he looked back at her face, as Incursio had been badly damaged enough to present it. She could see that Tatsumi was smiling at her by the look in his eyes, but it wasn't a smile of happiness.

It was sorrowful. He wanted her to leave him.

"Leone..."

"Don't you dare say it, Tatsumi."

"As cliche as this is..."

"You know there's no way out, Leone." Tatsumi stood bravely infront of her as he saw the Imperial Riflemen begin to prepare themselves, as the infantrymen began spreading out to cover the pathway infront of them. Trying to effectively box them in. "The price of freedom, is pretty steep. Everyone's given their lives for the cause, even Najenda."

"We can't lead them back to headquarters, there's way too many..."

"But we can still make it, Tatsumi...!" Leone cried out, carrying Akame tightly in her hands, trying to convince him as she didn't want to lose another friend, especially one that she loved so dearly. "You're right there, you guys can. Move on without me, we can't lose Akame..."

"If she dies, then Esdeath wins. Akame is the only way that we'll bring down Esdeath."

"I... I hate you so much, Tatsumi." Heavy tears finally down Leone's eyes, as she kicked the back of Tatsumi's leg with her foot. She acknowledged the truth of his words, she knew that he didn't her to go through this pain but choice wasn't something they had. "That's good, I hate you too..."

"To think, if you didn't steal everything I owned, I would never have joined you guys in the first place... But I wouldn't have had it any other way, you know."

"You guys are the best-" A stray bullet hit Tatsumi's armor at the chest, bouncing off due to Incursio's immense durability. His torn white cape flowed lightly in the wind, as he gave Leone one last glance. "Shit, move it!"

Summoning Neuntone, Tatsumi violently slammed it into the ground to cause eruptions to blanket the landscape with dust, trying to cover Leone's escape route as the corner of Tatsumi's eye observed one of the Cannoneer's preparing to blow his escaping friends apart. " _ **Not on my watch, asshole!**_ "

"This is for taking Mine away from us, _haaaaaa!"_ Slinging Neuntone straight into the distant Cannoner with blinding speed. Tatsumi witnessed the resulting explosion as death-cries were heard, caused by the impact. Taking some of the Imperial Military's strength down, but he was still vastly outnumbered.

They were still five thousand strong versus one, determined rebel.

"Kuk-!" The intense rifle fire kept on coming without pause, as it had done since Leone made off with Akame. It hadn't bothered Tatsumi much, but combined with the strain of using Incursio, every single shot felt like agony on his body when they came. And they came hard. The three remaining cannoneers, took to aiming at Tatsumi now.

"That's right, bring it! I'm here, and waiting for you!" Tatsumi charged forwards across the canyon, preparing to engage the infantrymen as they roared with raised swords.

"We're gonna cut you up, and present you to the Emperor!" One of them, yelled. "They'll be nothin' left for the crows, but eyeballs and fingers! Another laughed.

Tatsumi ignored them, entirely focused on trying to make as much as he could count with his last stand. Using his agile form, Tatsumi was able to grab ahold of the sword arm of one of the oncoming soldiers, immediately moving to swing him around quickly like a ragdoll into his allies. Knocking them over before hurling the held man straight into the oncoming crowd, scoring a strike in bowling.

"Ha... That trick... Never gets old, ha..." Tatsumi spluttered out as the riflemen finally managed to hit the exposed points of his body, trying his best to smile against the pain as blood dripped from the armor. As he looked back, Leone was nowhere to be seen in the distance. Even with Tatsumi's trained eyes, she was homefree and most importantly, safe from harm. "...I'm not dead yet, no chance."

The next wave of infantrymen came, now they began to surround Tatsumi from all sides.

"Fire at will, man." The Captain present at one of the Cannoneers position ordered, as the Cannoneer realizing the implications of firing at the Assassin whilst they were fighting against their comrades below in the canyon, paused. "Bu-But sir, they're pinned down by our troops! They'll be blown into pieces too, we can't-"

"Shut the fuck up, man! They'll be rewarded in heaven, we've been chasing this dirtbag for months! It's now or never!" Taking ahold of the younger man, the Captain pulled him close. Spitting all over him, with his ranting. "But- General Esdeath has specifically requested that-"

"I. Do. Not. Care!" Throwing the Cannoneer back down, and folding his arms tightly whilst watching Tatsumi utterly destroy his Imperial attackers, one by one.

"I'll take full responsibility for the Rebel's death- Now, if you'd kindly..." He lied.

"DO AS YOU ARE TOLD, FIRE!" The Cannoneer shrieked in response, immediately pulling the cord on the Cannon to launch it's explosive payload straight at Tatsumi from above, who had just reduced the Imperial Soldiers to broken paralyzed bodies on the ground with Incursio. Hearing the noise from the cannon, Tatsumi looked straight at the oncoming Cannonball and with mere seconds to spare, propelled his empowered fist violently against the projectile to launch it flying back to it's Master.

"You can have it back... _Retuuuurn to sender!_ " The sheer force of the collision had broke Tatsumi's arm, completely rendering it unusable and limb. As he held unto it with his sole remaining arm. He had still managed to whittle down the Cannoneer's, but two remained. Oddly, they had stopped firing at him. The infantry kept on swarming him, as they now tried to encircle him. Wearing excited grins behind their helmets, blood streaming down Tatsumi's own.

Launching themselves at him, seeing as he was paralyzed at one of his arms. Tatsumi evaded them, by leaping sideways. Throwing himself back into the fray, to drop kick two of them with both of his individual feet. Breaking their necks, as he hit the ground hard. Using his hand to springboard himself back up, before sweeping his leg outwards against the nearest foe. "Stay down, unless you wanna fall back down!"

"Haa... You're pretty tough, kid." A gigantic member of Esdeath's forces called out as the rest of her forces merely hung back to watch, he'd be wearing a uniform that barely fit him. Tatsumi would've joked about the outfit's size, and it's preference towards giants but he was currently nursing many internal injuries and breathing was painful enough as it is. "But you're just a small-fry, in the end. General Esdeath lets us do what we want with you losers, so we're gonna have so much fun with your friends! Torture, violence and rape! The good stuff...!"

"As if I'd let you... _**LAY A SINGLE HAND ON THEM**_!" Momentarily giving into Tyrant's rampant urgings, Tatsumi roared ferociously. Incursio's appearance gradually lost it's humanoid traits, and started to sport small wings. Tatsumi's left eye, flickered from Tyrant's own to the natural shade of green. Eventually defaulting at green, as Tatsumi powered on to keep his humanity. Incursio's cape completely tattered by this point.

"Stopping us is out of the question, when you're dead...! Just a simple head on a pike, kid!" The harsh words only made Tatsumi's rage burn onwards, as he recalled Chelsea's horrible accused fate. Roaring in anguish and pain. As his cracked gauntlets became razor sharp claws, Tatsumi leapt upwards to met the giant at his face. "I will not die, I made a promise- That I intend to keep!"

"Haa... Gotcha, asshole!" The Giant's hands caught Tatsumi in the air to crush him with them, compressing him tightly as the giant noticed that Tatsumi wasn't screaming in agony, he was completely silent as if seething quietly. Staying still, as he felt the kid's bones break in his hands. The remainder of Esdeath's forces charged to the scene from behind, preparing to seal the Assassin's doom by finishing him off upon being dropped by their comrade. "Why... Why aren't you crying out, short-stuff?"

"Trying to be defiant to the end, huh?" He taunted. "But it won't work...! I've seen so many brave faces before you, kid...! And they've all become crying sobbing messes when I've had them, you won't be the last to break! You'll be a pile of gore!"

"Just... A... Pile of gore, huh?" Tatsumi quietly laughed darkly, pain visible in his voice, as the Gigantic brute was forced to release the Night Raid Assassin due to the intense biting sensations felt on his hands caused by Tyrant's head forming itself on the points of Tatsumi's armor. Protecting it's host from further harm, as Tatsumi dropped to the ground in a pool of his own blood. Rising from it, as his determined eyes glared at the giant. "My body is weak... My heart is heavy, but my mind still powers on!"

"Ack! What the fuck...?! You little swine, nobody's ever escaped my deathhold...!

"...Then you've never met Tatsumi the Blacksmith."

Breaking apart the ground below with his stomping foot, Tatsumi kicked the resulting large rocks straight at the giant. Blinding him momentarily, to launch himself powerfully to the rest of his party. Executing Imperial Soldier after Imperial Soldier with one arm alone, breaking skulls and necks with it. Using his foot to catch a dropped sword, kicking it up to his chest and catching it in his good hand to cleave the rest apart into pieces. Wordlessly and without mercy, as blood splattered on his armor in droves.

"Knocking me with rocks, this isn't some fairy tale..."

"There's nobody coming to save you! This is reality, happy endings don't exist...!" The words rang true for Tatsumi, misery upon misery. He experienced it at the Capital, he especially regretted departing from his friend's side to venture to the Capital alone. Leaping back infront of the Giant, as he tried to slam his fists at the boy's location to crush him into the ground after stopping throwing his arms about wildly. "No question about that, I came here to stop you! Whatever the cost, to me!"

"Now watch me, as I pierce that tiny brain of yours... With one single blow...!" Noticing the additional backup forces arriving to the scene, Tatsumi decided to end things between him and the Giant immediately. Sending his body flying backwards carelessly, whilst holding the blade. He flung it with surprising accuracy, despite his awful condition and state. Hitting the Giant's helmet, right between the eyes as the faceplate broke apart and collapsed entirely. Allowing Tatsumi to observe the man's shocked visage, as the thrown sword caused tremendous amounts of blood to stream down his face. Falling to the ground, seconds later and accidentally crushing some of his allies to death as they screamed.

" _Hrrrrn..._ " Sliding across the ground by the force of his leap, knocking over several rocks and tumbling into the rocky surface of the floor. Tatsumi laid face down, quietly lamenting his awful situation. "I'm... Not sleeping this off."

"He's down, quickly! All cannons fire, now!" One of the Captains yelled, only to blindsided by the appearance of Wave and Kurome of the Jaegers. "Wait, stop! Cease fire, cease fire!"

"...They won't listen, Wave."

It was too late, Tatsumi's body was struck by the remaining cannon-fire and launched flying into the air. He narrowly survived due to Incursio's failing durability, and the slight inaccuracy of their explosive shots as he'd be thrown several dozen meters away from his original spot. Crashing hard against a boulder fixed to the ground, Tatsumi's body fell back unto the floor as his legs finally gave out. Slumping to the ground, with his back to the boulder. Tatsumi waited for death to come for him, as it had for many of his friends. It was his turn now, and his time to die. He felt at peace, oddly enough.

He'd soon be reunited with Mine, his love and lamented that he'd never been able to share the rest of his life with her in his arms. "The rest... Is up to you, guys."

"Don't let me down, ok?" Tatsumi's words were silent, but they were heard by the oncoming Imperial riflemen that surrounded him with their firearms raised. "What're you talkin' about, Rebel? That's a poor choice for last words!"

"...Should we take him alive, Captain?"

"Absolutely not, Lieutenant!" The Captain yelled at his subordinate, as Tatsumi's blood puddle began to reach their boots. "He's on death's door anyway, we're just the clean up crew."

"Stand down, everyone. I'm taking him into Jaeger custody, return to your unit." Wave, currently wearing Grand Chariot, announced to them. Trying to keep a stern tone, to ward them off. "But- You can't be serious!"

"General Esdeath wants him, alive that is." Wave continued. "Alive, you say?! He just wiped out, one of our strongest loyal soldiers and you want to keep this monster alive?!"

"Yes, alive. If you want to complain, complain to my boss... Your boss, Captain." Wave lifted Tatsumi from the boulder's surface, Incursio's form had returned back into it's sealed form, to be held by Kurome. "We'll mend his wounds, and escort him to the Palace's dungeons to await trial."

"Ha! You're just prolonging his demise, sir! I can't wait for the public execution, this'll be great...!" Ignoring the Captain's hurtful words, especially as he knew exactly what Esdeath wanted of Tatsumi. Wave carried Tatsumi's limp body away from the scene, realizing that death from blood loss was due to set in eventually and Esdeath didn't want to be gifted with his corpse. One of the soldiers ran up to Wave, stopping him as he spoke surprising words.

"Sir! The Rebel was covering the escape of the last two Night Raid members, should we pursuit them?" The Soldier said, Wave shaking his head. "No point, they're long gone. Exactly as Tatsumi intended, what a idiot."

In the tavern, at the present.

"Such stupid heroism, if we'd have gone together then we would've survived." Leone drunkenly said, having drank least twice of what she usually did. Joanna looked on, folding her arms underneath her sizable large breasts to gently pat Leone's shoulder. "Tell me, did this "Tatsumi" have cute little emerald eyes, Leone?"

"The prettiest pair that I've seen, hic!" Leone replied. "I see, I see. How bout' a cute hairflick that point outwards, so adorably?"

"Yup, yup. It even points upward especially, whenever he's aroused." Giggling at this, Leone sipped her tankard abit, only to find it practically empty.

"Well, in that case. I believe we're after the same guy, Leone." Joanna, stroking the side of her own face, smiled lightly. She had waited for Tatsumi to return to the Tavern, as she wanted to continue their conversation from before but she felt relieved that Tatsumi was exactly as she believed him to be. She had fallen victim to Tatsumi's irresistible magnetic charm that drew plenty of people to him. So realizing that he was as brave and heroic as she imagined was truly wonderful.

"Huh, he's been here before?!" Leone, becoming serious suddenly drew from her formerly drunken state to listen to the Bar Maid's words. "Just a month ago, actually."

"Hey, do you know if he'll be back, I need to know!"

"He sure will, we made a promise." Nodding at her question, Joanna felt awfully confident in Tatsumi's word that he'd return, unaware of his situation like Leone was. "In that case, when you see him... Tell him a close friend wants to reunite with him, take this."

Leone reached into her cleavage, and took a scrap of paper from it. Scrawling one of her safehouses' address unto it, complete with directions. Handing it over to Joanna, whom took it into her hands. Observing it. "Here, he'll know where to go."

With that, Leone hurried out of the Tavern to reunite with Akame whom had been operating solo for the day. Night fell soon afterwards and Joanna closed up the Tavern for the evening.

At the Capital, inside Tatsumi's room. Esdeath had been pacing across the floor for minutes, clenching her fists. Biting her nails, and struggling with what to do. Makoto had fallen asleep, quietly resting in his room. Having returned from his mission with the Three Beasts, leaving the report to Abduin as he wanted to spend some more time in the Imperial Library. Esdeath herself had largely spent the day sorting out interviews and reading Military reports, what time she didn't spend doing that was inside the Torture Chambers.

She had woken up in the middle of the night, and entered inside Tatsumi's room to check on him but now she didn't want to leave without him.

Practically naked, aside from one of her buttoned up shirts that was loosely buttoned up even now. Esdeath kept her eyes on Tatsumi's sleeping form, as she bit her lower lip. The Doctor's had examined his condition earlier and stated that he was close to being healed, but wasn't ready to be kept out of his bed for longer periods of time. Tatsumi always healed quickly, but not quick enough for his lover.

In the recent nights, that she had spent alone in their bed. She opted to strip Tatsumi of his sweat ridden clothes, replacing them with new clear pairs and took the used pieces of attire to bed with her. If she couldn't take Tatsumi into bed with her then she'd take the next best thing from that, his scent. She had originally wanted to bring Makoto along with her as she saw him as a good source of comfort, but Makoto hadn't be willing to express any affection with her as of recent.

This frustrating cold stance that he had took, caused painful throbs in Esdeath's heart as she had grown used to the affectionate boy that she first met only to suddenly lose him when she lost Tatsumi. What was worse was when she discovered exactly why, her child had distanced himself from her in the first place.

It was shortly after Makoto's return to the Palace, upon forcing the Path of Peace's surrender to the Empire. When she moved to congratulate him, with a motherly embrace. He instinctively stepped backwards to avoid, naturally... This ended with Makoto being thrown to the wall, and fixed there solid with Ice.

"I gave you, simple instructions... Sweetie." Esdeath glared at him, arms folded tightly across her chest. The two looked practically identical with their matching uniforms, as she paced around slowly whilst keeping her eyes locked on him. "Simple instructions, not to ignore me. You've seen what happens when your Father does so, I thought you'd be smarter than him."

"Way, smarter." She hissed. "Besides, I have neglected to mention this... But how is it that you've come to the past, anyway?"

"As if my future counterpart would let you go, I surely won't do." Esdeath continued, as she kept Makoto trapped in place. "That's exactly it, Mother."

"You _didn't_ let me go, I simply didn't inform you of it."

"What, so you left without saying anything at all to your own Mother?" Taken aback, Esdeath stepped backwards in shock. Widening her eyes, and clutching her chest due to the growing pain forming in her wounded heart. "Indeed, Mother. You always instructed me, to never let anything stop my advancement..."

"Eventually, I knew that you'd become a hindrance." His painful words were knives to her chest, as she positioned her hand to slap him across the cheek to stop him, but he continued. "So I abandoned you, and took ahold of my destiny."

"I feel no remorse for doing so, as it is what you've always told me. If I enchain myself to the past, then I have no future. That is why the strong endure, and the weak perish." With that, Makoto's face was struck by the hard slap. As he was forced to move his head with it's motion. His cheek currently bright red, as Esdeath was on the verge of tears. She hadn't said a single word, but she was currently shaking in her form. Her oncoming fist broke the ices that held his body into pieces, and immediately took ahold of his uniform. Lifting him up into the air.

"My child or not, but say anymore and I will _strangle_ the life from you." Esdeath hissed loudly, entirely serious, completely overriding her motherly instincts with the tremendous pain that she felt. But, why? Makoto wasn't guilty of anything that she thought he was, she herself had hardwired this sense of self into him through her ways. She was responsible for this, but she couldn't she stand it then?

It was simple, she couldn't stomach being left behind by her loved ones.

Because that's what Tatsumi always did, she knew that Makoto was much closer to his Father than he realized.

"Killing me here is meaningless, Mother."

"Don't call me that, as if it means anything to you." She pressed his tiny frame against the wall of her entrance hall, as she continued emanating hostility. "The pain in my chest is because of you, Makoto. Because you carelessly disregard my feelings, my love for you and my instinctual need to care for you."

"You used to be, so sweet and gentle. But now I can hardly recognize you, I can't stand you and the way you behave." Applying another hand firmly on his shoulder to affirm her point, Esdeath slapped him across the face on the other cheek another time. "Is it something that I've done, Makoto? Are you unsatisfied with the life that I've given you, is it that?"

Slamming him once more against the wall, as hung frames containing photos of Tatsumi and Esdeath together with her Military from his initial days of arrival fell from the wall and cracked apart.

"Unlike your Father. You've never battered so much as an eye. Whenever I've tortured some poor sap to death, so answer me."

"If you haven't figured it out already, then it's pointless to say." Makoto replied, as he recovered from the given slap across the face. "Don't play games with me, Makoto. My Future self may have been lenient with you, but I won't be... You belong to me, and me alone."

"The mark on your chest proves it, and your Father is next in line to receive that mark."

"Now... Unless you'd like to be _grounded_ for the remainder of your life here, Makoto. Give me, what I want." Acknowledging that she was completely serious in her words, as confirmed by her tone and intense grip. Makoto finally relented, as he explained himself.

"Whenever it is just us, I feel as if I'm... Back in the future, Mother. Back where everyday is hell, and another challenge. I cannot relax, nor act as you want me to."

"Because the future you, wouldn't have approved of that. It's only when Father is around, that I feel as if I am unburdened from the future, and free to behave as I want." With that, Esdeath threw Makoto to the hard ground as she acknowledged the truth of his words, seething to dispel her rage.

He was right, completely right. Tatsumi always brought the best sides of everyone that met him, even herself to some degree. She should have figured Makoto's change in behavior was due to that, because he didn't feel comfortable with expressing himself without the presence of Tatsumi.

"...Get dressed, immediately." Esdeath quietly stated, folding her arms tightly across her chest. Having decided on the next course of her action. "...Mother?"

"Now, head to your room and return to me ready."

"What are your intents..." Makoto tried to question, as he stood up. "We're going out for Ice Cream, I need some excitement in life as it's been lacking recently."

"I won't make the same mistake as my Future self by restricting the fun in your life, dear." She explained, wiping herself off abit. "So, every other day when possible, we'll do something fun together."

Utterly confused, Makoto simply stood still in his stance. Both of his cheeks, bright red from the slaps as his cap was tilted sideways. "Fun, Mother? Is that really-"

"Yes, it is. Now, I believe Mommy ordered you to march to your room, correct?" Esdeath's tone had largely mellowed down in it's intensity, as she simply took ahold of her child's coat, pulling him upwards and literally carrying him to his room before tossing him straight unto his bed upon opening his door. Moving to the closest, as she overlooked the clothes that she had brought him. Picking some out, and threw them to his body as his trousers covered his face.

"Don't keep me waiting else I'll dress you myself." Esdeath warned, as she left his room. Leaving her son utterly confused, and even more confused at the clothes on his body. "...Yes, Mom." He sighed.

Back in the present, at Tatsumi's room. Esdeath's instinctual yearnings kept on, urging her to pull him into her arms and nuzzle him. Caving in, she dove herself into his brown messy hair and took deep heavy breaths of his scent. Filling her lungs with him, as she soon found herself pulling him from the bed itself and into her arms as she held him strongly. Tatsumi groaned slightly, pained but not disturbed. "Shhh... I'm here, it's just me."

"My poor sweet little Tatsumi, I won't let this happen to you ever again."

" _Esdeath._.." Tatsumi unconsciously moaned out, leaning against her chest.

That was the final straw for Esdeath's already fragile self control once more, as she lifted Tatsumi properly in her grasp. Carrying him from the room, with decided steps. Moving into their bedroom, before relieving Tatsumi of his clothes and placed him securely into the bed under the covers. She discarded her own shirt too, leaving her breasts fall down as she removed it. Sighing deeply, she had waited for this moment forever and it had come. She didn't want any items of clothing separating her from Tatsumi's body, and she wanted to act as his warmth and monopolize on his body heat.

"Just stay put, my love. Nobody will deny me of this anymore, nobody."

Crawling into bed afterwards, laying him softly on his side. She began spooning him from behind, and snaked her arms around her man slowly as possible as to not cause pain to him. Intertwining her legs together, Esdeath nuzzled herself into his neck and kissed it repeatedly for minutes on end.

Then she fell asleep.

The next day, midst of the afternoon. Esdeath sat in her study, inside her quarters as Makoto was currently attending a special lesson that was being shared with the Emperor. Honest had strongly advocated to the Great General that they should nurturer a sense of friendship between the young lads, as they were close in age. Esdeath had reservations about this, but agreed in the end as she knew Makoto wouldn't be swayed as easily as the Emperor was.

"Enter." Esdeath loudly called out, as she dipped the quill into the ink to sign her signature. The individual standing behind the doors, entered as she stood proudly in place. This particular person had been instrumental in Esdeath's most secretive schemes, including the capture of Night Raid Sniper Mine.

"I have arrived, Mistress. You requested me, and I came." Fate announced, moving to incline her chest to bow politely. "That I did, skip the formalities, I have important news for you."

Fate, being the same height as Esdeath, could be described as intimidating to anyone that stood smaller than themselves. Her hair was a short cut, bleached white, with matching crystal clear eyes. Being able to afford the best equipment, thanks to working in Esdeath's service, Fate herself was wearing one of her favourite latex black bodysuits with thigh-high boots and belts to complete the look. Being one whole bra size above Esdeath, she had her bodysuit's front zipper pulled down enough to reveal the mark of the Ice Demon on her chest.

It was only said that Esdeath branded her favorites with that mark, anyone else was simply written with insults and demeaning phases. So, Fate's importance was already shown by that alone. Her Teigu, was only known to Esdeath and herself. Water Majesty, a step up from the Black Marlin Teigu in which she could summon vast volumes of water from nothingness upon absorbing it inside herself.

Noting this, Esdeath took to injecting her own Teigu afflicted blood into Fate to witness the changes that it caused, having noted that it's presence inside Fate caused many incidents of mental instability along with granting her slight control of Ice itself. This allowed her to continue molding Fate's mind into the perfect instrument, intending to do away with her once she had fulfilled her purpose.

Esdeath never really felt any attachment to her pets, using them for simple kicks then letting them waste away.

But Fate was different, very different.

"Now, unto why I've called you." Esdeath nonchalantly noted, whilst continuing with her paperwork. "My mate has sustained injuries, and he'll be out of action for a while."

"And even after he's recovered, I cannot stomach allowing him back unto the field without my supervision." Lifting her cap to view Fate properly, Esdeath smiled lightly as she saw Fate's expression become abit more pleased at the sound of her words. "So you'll be replacing him in the Jaegers, from henceforth."

"Starting today, you'll finally be one of us." Signing another report with her signature, Esdeath swept it away into the folder as she placed it back unto the pile. Resting her head in her fist. "Isn't that lovely news, my pet?"

"O-Of course, Mistress Esdeath...! I'm ecstatic at the news, believe me!" Fate jolted into action, as the Ice Queen merely grinned widely to herself. "Well, hard work does deserve reward."

"And you've done well, as you can see. I am enjoying life's joys with my Tatsumi, and let's not forget how you helped secure that."

"Thanks to you, I was able to personally remove a rival from the playing field." Blissfully reflecting on this, Esdeath stood upwards from the desk. Sliding her fingers across it as she made movements towards Fate. "You were able to track down, defeat and capture the distasteful little girl that dared to lay claim to what was mine, didn't you~?"

"Indeed, Mistress. I might've failed to follow your small parts of your guidance and ended up underestimating her abilities, resulting in my bodysuit being completely ruined. I was partly surprised shrimps like her could shoot a gun that size, no less hold it properly." Fate energetically responded, overwhelmed by the news as she tried to maintain professional composure. "Not only that, you also blamed the disappearance of girl straight on Wild Hunt."

"Either way, as much as I'd love to catch up with you... It's due time that I present myself to the Revolutionaries that were captured yesterday, Fate." Esdeath fixed her cap properly on her head, as she walked to the doorway, only to turn around to stop as she held the handle. "Unless you'd like to join me, we had plenty fun in those chambers together, didn't we~?"

Esdeath's tone was sickeningly sweet, but filled with sadistic pleasure. Esdeath originally only kept Fate around to satisfy her urges of breaking strong willed individuals, as such she had spent plenty hours alone with the woman inside the Torture Chambers to gradually whittle away at her sanity. Fate's body froze up, as she politely moved to decline her request, but felt instinctively compelled to obey. A side effect of her training by the Ice Queen.

It was then, Fate herself was forced to recall her fateful encounter with Mine and how she had brought the girl before her Mistress in chains.

"Cut the bullshit, what do you want with me?!" Mine panted, carrying Pumpkin tightly in her hands. "Oh, you'll see soon enough... My beloved Mistress wants you erased from the world, and I've come to deliver that wish personally!"

Mine quickly connecting the Machine Gun stock to Pumpkin, fired several barrages of Spirit Energy straight at Fate whom avoided it effortlessly with graceful leaps.

The Night Raid Sniper had been lured to the Forest of Fallen Death by Fate, they were alone together as the Danger Beasts in the surrounding areas had been already hunted to near extinction by somebody clad in full suit of armor to protect the local residents of the Forest.

"Hey, stay still...! You old lady!" Mine yelled, as she affirmed her hold on Pumpkin whilst ceasing fire momentarily to avoid overheating the Teigu. They had been fighting for a solid hour and Fate hadn't tried to land a single blow, merely toying with Mine and playing around with her. Which, to Mine, was odd for somebody who wanted her dead.

"You hurt me so, I'm no older than you...! I'm just well developed, that's all~"

Greatly annoyed at this, Mine professionally detached the Machine Gun stock to Pumpkin and applied the Sniper attachment for better accuracy. "If you're gonna just keep dodging me, then I'll have to improvise! Take this...!"

Unable to avoid the Spirit Energy at this moment, Fate revealed her secret weapon to the Assassin. Lifting her hand elegantly upwards, one large fountain of water came spurting up from the ground violently as it was soon covered entirely by ice to shield herself from the attack. The shot managed to dent the ice as it flung itself back at Fate's body, but not break it apart. Fate was still bruised by this, considering the impact of the attack was immensely powerful due to Pumpkin's passive danger amplifier.

"So, you work for the Ice-Bitch then, huh?! I should've figured, you're after my Tatsumi, aren't you?" Mine lowered Pumpkin momentarily, allowing it to cooldown and to engage in conversation with her newfound nemesis, whom stood a few meters away. "Oh no, darling. It's just you, but you are right about one thing and that's I do work for the supposed "Ice-Bitch" but here's the difference between myself and my Mistress."

"I get my thrills from being called naughty names, so have at it...! Satisfy me, if you can!" Fate darted straight towards Mine, sprinting at full speed to catch her off guard, as it largely worked. Enabling her to knee Mine in the gut, and send her small form flying against the nearest tree. The surrounding forest had been practically decimated by their prior battles, since Fate kept avoiding her strikes. "So you see, I could've easily brought you to your knees but I wanted to savor your struggling some more."

"...Don't mock me, you pawn! I'm not some toy, like you!" Mine lifted herself from her slouching position against the tree, to aim Pumpkin at Fate whom had vanished from her last seen spot. Causing Mine to instinctively panic, causing Pumpkin's power to gradually rise as she felt on edge. Being alone, she was at her most vulnerable causing Pumpkin to become one deadly lethal Teigu. Hence why Fate had been dodging and avoiding the weapon's fire, Esdeath had specifically warned her of this since despite not believing in Fate's ability to beat Mine, least wanted to give her pet one solid chance at removing her rival.

Shooting wildly into the tress, as Fate hid behind them. Mine kept up the assault, acknowledging that Fate had stamina too, and if need be then she'd engage Fate in hand-to-hand combat as she had been trained for that eventuality aswell.

"Quit hidin' already! Pumpkin's aching to blow you into pieces, already!"

"Foolish girl, how can you expect to blow anything to pieces when you get so uptight, hm~?"

To Mine's shock and horror, Fate was sat with her legs crossed on one of the larger tree branches directly above her. Mine leapt backwards, intending to destroy the entire tree with Pumpkin. Releasing a burst of Spirit Energy that consumed a vast portion of the tree, Fate avoided it by using the Tree's bark as a springboard to propel herself away. Landing near Mine, wearing a painfully smug visage.

"You call me upright, but I'm callin' you downright delusional...! You realize that once she's done with you, when she's bored of you..." Mine's words, unexpectedly bore into Fate this time.

"She's throw you aside, like a used toy! She'll do the same to Tatsumi, just watch!" For the first time, since they had began fighting with each other. Fate's anger arose drastically, losing her formerly solid composure to dart towards Mine. Flooding the grass with violent torrents of water that burst from the ground below and extinguishing the flames on the burnt trees, the resulting water was bitterly cold and sapped at Mine's strength as she began to visibly shake from the bitter cold.

"You don't realize, as long as I remain my Mistress's favourite loyal toy, then I won't ever be replaced...!" Fate yelled, as her emotionally driven attack began to overwhelm Mine causing her to drop Pumpkin from her hands. The sheer cold was enough to cause Mine to cry out in distress, she was positively shivering by now. At her wits end, Fate continued her steady march towards Mine and swept the young girl from her feet to drown her on land.

Only momentarily stopping when she recalled her Mistress's orders, to bring Mine alive back to the Palace. "Tch... Lucky for you, you get to live for now."

Mine could only groan in pain, trying to stop herself from appearing weak to Fate.

"But that'll soon change, when my Mistress performs her best work with you in the Torture Chambers." Leaning over Mine, she gave the girl one solid firm kick to the stomach then to the head to knock her flat out. Lifting her up into her arms before slinging her over the shoulder. Tauntingly spanking the Sniper's bottom with her hand as she declared victory proudly as she glanced over to Pumpkin.

Pulling Syura's Wild Hunt ID card from her cleavage, she left it intentionally on the scene along with Pumpkin to pass on the blame to Wild Hunt, as Esdeath had already forced Honest to disband them and planned to eliminate them herself. So having Night Raid fight them, was bonus upon bonus for her.

Largely, it worked a treat.

Esdeath later met up with Fate at one of the Imperial Safe Houses in the Capital, as traveling to the Palace whilst keeping Mine captive was difficult enough. Having to knock and restrain the girl several times over her journey alone.

Eventually, she made it.

"I delivered what you've asked, Mistress. I will let you do as you please, now." Fate dropped Mine straight to the ground, as since this was just a Military Safe-house that Esdeath had re-purposed into a Torture Room, the floor was largely filthy and ridden with dirt. "Wonderful job, absolutely wonderful. Top marks, Fate. I'll ensure that you are rewarded, appropriately."

"I'll ask that you make yourself comfortable here, as I'll require some of your... Unique traits, to fully enjoy myself here." General Esdeath looked to the room's ceiling and breathed out as Fate left the room, licking her lips as she smiled widely with her pearly white teeth on full display. "Now, now."

Kneeling down towards the unconscious Mine, Esdeath lightly prodded at her head with her index finger. "So, this is the little girl that thought she could monopolize on what rightfully belongs to me."

"Even worse, she figured that she could actually deprive me of my man." Esdeath's prodding became slight ominous stroking as Mine gradually came about, regaining consciousness over six seconds of time as she felt hands on her face. "Tatsumi, is that you?"

"You wish, dear. Tatsumi belongs to me, and you're about to learn _exactly_ why he does." Mine's visage soon became largely terrified, as she knew exactly what came about those tortured by Esdeath. The Revolutionary Army had entire departments dedicated towards the mental and physical rehabilitation of the victims that survived her work in the chambers. Which, of course, wasn't that many.

"Are you stupid, or just plain dumb?! Tatsumi will never want you, especially not when you've hurt me, I'm his girlfriend...! Not you!" Mine moved to lift herself to her feet, pushing her hands from the floor.

Only to be forced straight back down from Esdeath's heel arriving on her back. Hostility radiating from her body, violently and without pause. "Foolish girl, is that you call yourself? His " _Girlfriend_." Is that what you justify yourself as, hm? That's where you fail, you know. I don't need petty titles to affirm my claim to him, he is mine."

"That is fact." Having been irked, Esdeath immediately rid Mine of her tattered water soaked clothes by slicing them apart, not caring if she cut her skin during this. "Besides, when I've done with you... Once I've rid you, of every single last feature that Tatsumi loves about you."

Hearing this, Mine's face fell and her words were silent. She felt embarrassed by being naked, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. "He'll be practically begging for me to take him in, to mend his pain and heal his body."

Compressing her heel deeper into Mine's back, lifting it upwards only to bring it back down hard. Causing the Assassin to cry out, and grind her teeth together in defiance. "Grrn, do your _worst_ Ice-Bitch!"

"Of course, my worst is also my best, afterall." Deciding to speed things up, Esdeath pulled her heel from Mine's back to kick her across the room and into the Torture Bench that she had set up hours prior. The walls contained various recently placed Tool racks, for easier access to specialized equipment. Usually, Esdeath would wear surgical attire for this kind of fun, but as she was currently entertaining one of her most awaited guests. Her usual uniform sufficed.

Lifting the beaten Mine unto it, she easily suppressed her struggles by placing one firm icy hand against her throat that resulted in plenty tortured screams. "Don't get so worked up just yet, we haven't even begun..."

Applying the restraints to her wrists and ankles, Esdeath overlooked Mine's body for a few moments in interest. She was partly impressed, but compared to her own bodily confidence, Mine was vastly inferior. "I'll say, you've certainty done well for yourself."

"But, I must say... Compared to me, you're just a third-rate little girl with no sense to know that she shouldn't mess with another person's chosen property." Leaning over at Mine, Esdeath stroked her face to taunt her. Pulling at her uniform's cleavage window to expose more of it, mockingly in which Mine responded by spitting in her face. The saliva reaching her cheek, as she wiped it off. "Still feisty, hm~? Don't worry, that'll change."

"That'll change, for _sure!"_

Two hours had passed in the makeshift Torture Chamber as Fate was currently sitting down on one of the side room's chairs, legs crossed. Reading a book, to take her mind off the horrible girlish screams coming from the room Esdeath was inside with the Assassin. The, Esdeath stepped out and wiped her forehead. Currently without her cap, and partly splattered with blood from head to boot. "I'll say, Fate. I think this one's replaced you as my favourite."

"Is that so, Mistress?" Fate asked, partly unconvinced as Esdeath wiped herself clean with a wet towel. "Indeed, but I sadly can't prolong her torment for the length she deserves."

Sitting directly across from her subordinate, Esdeath had intentionally left Mine alone in the room to recover from her traumatic past hour. She had began with verbal torture first, beginning to lay the foundations for Mine's mental collapse by nurturing and instilling the sense of hopelessness along with explaining the ways that she'd reclaim her beloved Tatsumi back from her.

To Mine, her budding relationship with Tatsumi was one of her most treasured possessions, so having that taken away from her by somebody so horridly cruel was borderline incomprehensible. Upon destroying her drive, Esdeath spent the last twenty minutes of their sessions cutting away at Mine's pigtails with surgical scissors. Intending to destroy the aspects of femininity and womanhood that Mine held in high regard, especially since Esdeath assumed they had drawn Tatsumi into her trap.

"Is she..." Fate, peering from her book as she wasn't exactly reading it, motioned with her hand. "She is, alive but shaken up. Exactly as intended, I decided to psychologically torture her first, there's no rush to move unto the physical torture yet."

"I intend to strip away every single aspect that she tricked Tatsumi with. Then once I am satisfied that he'll hardly recognize her as she is, she will die." Esdeath's nonchalant attitude was particularly unnerving to Fate, even if she was devoted to her Mistress. She knew that Esdeath's mindset was filled with malicious intent towards this girl, which was quite odd. Fate was well aware of the real reasons why Esdeath enjoyed torture, it wasn't because she hated her victims but it was because of the kicks and pleasure that torture gave her.

"So, you're planning on presenting her to your chosen partner?" Fate said, eyebrow raised. "Oh no, that'd completely defeat the purpose of my mission. You see, I'm well aware that Tatsumi's adorable sense of justice would cause him to revile me forever if he ever discovered what happen here. I want his love, not hatred."

"Ah, I see now. I originally figured that he was destined to become like me." Fate lightly stroked against the mark on her chest, as Esdeath slightly smiled whilst crossing her leg over the other. "Well, If I'm lucky then Tatsumi will eventually wish that himself. But no, my relationship with Tatsumi is to be Superior and Subordinate. I intend to train him up and nurture him, we will share blissful romantic love together and eventually when the time is right, become destined equals."

"Equals, that must be nice." Fate spoke up, barely concealing her jealously towards Tatsumi's situation.

"Aaaah... I'll take a short nap, then I'll continue. Make sure she doesn't try any daring escape attempts, Fate. Not that she's in the right condition for such." Stretching and releasing a yawn, Esdeath sat up from the chair as she moved towards the sparsely decorated bedroom to rest up. She wanted to be in the right frame of mind whilst attending to her captive, as she didn't want to slouch in her techniques and accidentally cause more damage than intended.

One day passed, and Esdeath was currently working away inside the Torture Room inside the Safe House. Even whilst asleep, she had been fully aware of Fate's movements and actions as her keen trained sixth sense allowed her to remain alert even whilst asleep. She pleasant dreams of her life ahead, partly tempted to break Mine's neck and make one mad dash towards Tatsumi to claim her prize.

Driven by her possessive urges over Tatsumi, Esdeath taken time to check Mine's exposed lower regions for evidence of her hymen's condition. Baring her teeth in satisfaction as she saw it was intact, realizing that she hadn't overstepped herself when it came to Tatsumi and that Tatsumi's virginity was still hers to lay claim to.

To add to this, Esdeath being well aware of the male and female anatomy, took it upon herself to perform a full Salpingectomy operation on Mine whilst she slept on the Torture Bench. Thanks to previously drugging her with sleeping medication. In short, Esdeath had rendered Mine effectively infertile, ensuring that she'd never bare any of Tatsumi's children and that Esdeath would be free to do so as she wished, in the future.

"You've been hard work, missy... I'm almost at my limit with you, if only I thought to cut your tongue out sooner." Esdeath lightly tapped her fingers on the wood of the bench, as she glanced across to Fate. Mine's eyes were currently tightly closed. Laying out her hand in silence, Fate placed the required tool in her mistress's hand without expressing any words herself. Examining it, Esdeath's eyes looked down on the bleeding fingernails that she had taken from Mine previously, licking her lips.

She instead threw away the instrument of pain, and decidedly placed her hand directly on Mine's forehead. Soon pressing her fingertips against her eyelids to pull them apart, so she could look into her victim's scared eyes as she died. "Perhaps now I've made myself perfectly clear... Anyone that dares threaten my union with Tatsumi is to be treated harshly, very harshly."

"Now, smile for me... _As you wither away and die._ " Esdeath's eyes widened notably as Mine did just that, smiled bitterly to herself in sadness as the Ice resulting from the physical contact between them began to break her down. Soon, Mine's entire body was frozen solid. It only took one light gentle tap to the forehead, to break her into pieces and shards. Completely ridding any evidence of her actions, stepping backwards without any emotion in her body language. "Fate, destroy everything in this place... The house and it's furnishings, every last atom must be expunged.

Walking away, Esdeath felt as the walls of the building gradually lost stability. Smiling in satisfaction, Esdeath noticed some of Mine's leftover blood resting on her index finger as she observed it momentarily before casually flicking it away. "One more obstacle has been removed, killed in their crib. There is nowhere for you to run away from me now, Tatsumi."

"Your sweet submission to me is ripe, and it's time that I come to collect what I am owed."

In the present day, Esdeath had grown tired of observing Fate's motionless form. Slapping her upside the head, in which Fate reconnected back to reality to observe Esdeath's curious look. "Explain yourself, Fate."

"Sorry, Mistress! My mind flashed-back to the day that we spoke about, I just can't forget about the words that little shit uttered out... That I'm just a temporary tool, that my training doesn't serve any longterm purpose..." Fate began ranting to herself, deeply frustrated with the long deceased Assassin's words, even now.

"You're smarter than to believe such lies, Fate. You listen to reason, and I am that reason. The Revolutionary Army fears you for your talents, and Dr. Stylish commends you for your work at obtaining the Danger Beast blood on my behalf. Cowards often try and subvert the strong through lies, and because of your strength... They seek the same, you are important to me and my plans." The Ice Queen ensured her loyal subordinate with her sweet words, using every aspect of her charm to sway her mind into a docile state, largely succeeding in this. Fate was firmly wrapped around her slender fingers.

Fate's expression halted from it's formerly engaged emotional state before gradually but surely softly descending into the blank slate that it currently was, as she quietly muttered to herself. " _I'm... Important_."

 **Whew, before you begin writing angry reviews. Lemme clarify something in particular, basically I don't hate Mine. Sure, she's not my favourite character in AGK but she's not somebody I despise. But, regardless of SingleYandereMale's personal thoughts, Esdeath hates Mine and she hates her with a PASSION.**

 **So naturally, I was forced to write what I have as it wouldn't be right to not do Esdeath justice when it came to her more brutal ways. Trust me, I tried to think of ways to avoid writing this as graphically as I have. Hence why I saved it for last, as I wanted to put deep thought into it. This chapter ran at 13,362 words and hopefully it answers alot of the questions that you may have had.**

 **I'll be updating it as I do, to correct any spelling errors and whatnot but I'm pretty satisfied with the result thus far. Not to mention, Fate is introduced properly into the story, so lemme know what your thoughts on her are. She's be explored further as the story goes, so I have left things ambiguous still.**

 **Either way, make sure you check the Fics written by the creator's of the OCs, they're all Canon to the story so you should read em'!**

 **Most importantly, rate and review as you see fit! Chapter 21 will be released in 5/6 days time, and I'll let you know my Progress on the Discord Server! Thanks!**


	21. Chapter 21 - The Value of Life

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **A day late, but we're rollin'!**

" _And the illustrious winner is..."_ The Announcer of the Imperial Arena cried out, to the excited overwhelming roars of the large crowd that watched the largely one-sided battle.

" _Tatsumi the Blacksmith from lands afar! Watch his space, this youngster's got real talent!_ " He quickly continued with the same frantic tone, as Tatsumi stood proudly over the fallen foe, he'd just laid out flat with one single blow to the dead center of the torso in cold silence. The size comparison was largely vast, as Tatsumi was several heads smaller than the defeated larger half-Beast man. To have come this far was strange to Tatsumi, here he was... Standing in one of the Imperial Arenas, on Najenda's orders to collect the prize money for Night Raid's activities from the General running the challenge.

And he was succeeding brilliantly, with flying results. The Prize money would be his, for certain!

Tatsumi's train of thought was overtaken by the loud crowd, shouting his name as no less than five Imperial Soldiers came to literally drag the unconscious Ox-Man from the marble floor. Regaining his thoughts, as the crowd became silence once more. Tatsumi recalled the odd sensation of acute fear when Najenda had explained the name of the General to him, and warned him to the extremely careful. What was worse that Tatsumi somehow completely forgot the name of the General, at the moment he heard it.

" _Oh, that's this? We have one last challenger to face off against the Blacksmith!_ " The Announcer beckoned once more, as Tatsumi accordingly steeled himself for another bout. Even if he'd taken out everyone with simple ease prior to this, Tatsumi fondly recalled Bulat's advice to never underestimate anyone regardless of their appearance. Bulat, for that matter was currently MIA, missing in action after and Sheele was on extended vacation elsewhere herself.

He deeply missed the two of them, but as long as they were still alive then Tatsumi wouldn't pay anymore mind to it. From afar, he could see the newcomer enter the Arena from the opposing gates. From what he could make out, the challenger was completely covered from head to toe in one thick white cloak. As they stepped up to the main area, three meters away from each other as they began laughing quietly to themselves as Tatsumi's eyebrows rose upwards. The figure in question, appeared to be the same height as Tatsumi whilst having the same level of physique too, if the cloak wasn't making that point difficult to properly nail down to the Assassin.

Least they were the same size, anyway as the previous dozen self-confident challengers were huge burly hulking men that figured they'd be able to squash their smaller foe. Unable to comprehend that Tatsumi's smaller and more agile frame allowed him to precisely hit their pressure points, easily bringing them down without so much as a sweat.

"Hey there, what's so funny? Is there somethin' on my face?" Tatsumi asked casually, keeping his combative stance without halting in it. Trying to break the ice long enough to properly gauge their abilities before the real fight began between them.

"Oh, no. Of course not, it'd be a shame if they were." They responded back, in the same casual tone. In the same casual voice, Tatsumi's own voice. This confused Tatsumi leaps and bounds, was his foe some form of shapeshifter mimicking his voice? Trying to look under the hood yielded no result, as shadow swallowed the true identity of the figure to hide them away from the world. "Who, actually, what are you? What kind of messed up trick are you trying to pull over my eyes, come on... Explain!"

"If only, it were so simple."

"Funny, naturally I'd be inclined to explain... Villains do characteristically enjoy gloating to the Heroes, don't they?" Laughing even more at his own words, Tatsumi instead opted to lunge straight at the cackling madman to cease his amusement dead in it's tracks as they leapt over him to land directly behind him. Facing away, as they continued speaking to Tatsumi, or were they alone in their words? "A life that's so awfully demanding, say would you prefer to lay back and let somebody else take over?"

"Take over of my life, huh?! Like hell...! I'd never let that happen, I have too many responsibilities and people that depend on me!"

"But what if they were gone, vanished only to never return before your eyes again." They eerily continued. "What if you didn't need to stay strong for them, any longer than required..."

"But we're no mere villain, but nor anymore a brave righteous Hero at the same time." Side stepping Tatsumi's second attack at him effortlessly as if he saw it coming from miles away, they then elegantly spun around to face him directly in the face as Tatsumi leapt backwards across the arena to avoid the outstretched hand that looked deathly pale, deprived of sunlight's grace.

Taking a large hold on the cloak they wore, sharply pulling it away to finally reveal themselves to Tatsumi.

"Enough riddles, answer my damn question...! Who are you?!" Tatsumi demanded, strongly.

"Because, as you've probably guessed by now... Tatsumi, your blissful life has come to it's bitter sad end."

"It's time to wake up from the dream, face reality already and accept the _ **truth**_ that I am!." Smiling widely with ominous undertones, shirtless as he just wore expensive black tattered trousers and were collared at the neck like a simple animal with the chain trailing loyally behind him. Complete with skin pale as the moon's lunar surface in contrast to the apricot tone of Tatsumi, with narrowed unfeeling jade eyes in contrast to Tatsumi's wide expressive ones. Wavy long brown hair that perfectly mirrored his counterparts own. His other looked at the original, finishing his sentence to Tatsumi's shock and horror. "I am you, and you are me. We are one, the same, you and I."

"G-Get real, you're not me!" Tatsumi yelled out in confusion, as he'd glance left and right to the crowd. They were completely silent, as they had been for minutes now. And much worse, completely still. Noticing this, his doppelganger clicked his fingers to blacken the world around them until the only visible points of the world were the Arena. "Convinced, now? There's plenty phases that I could use for us, you know. Let's say..."

"...The brightest purest light, often casts the darkest bleakest shadow." Laughing madly at the original, Tatsumi slowly dropped the combative stance with haste to cover his ears tightly with his hands. Closing his eyes, trying to snap out from this awful nightmare. Doing anything in his attempts to wake himself from the hallucinations, but they weren't hallucinations as Tatsumi originally thought. They were the pieces of reality that seeped behind the cracks in the mental wall Tatsumi's mind had subconsciously built itself to keep away everything that caused familiar amounts of emotional harm to him. "Shut up, shut up! Just stop talking before I-"

"Make me, is that what you were going to say? Of course you were, I am you... I know exactly single sentence that'll be heard from that mouth of yours, even before you do." The doppelganger seemed largely uninterested in fighting Tatsumi at the moment, instead opting to break him via psychological torment. Akin to, _Esdeath?_ That name once more, rang itself loudly in his head as then... Caused by the recent horrible revelations, and Tatsumi's gradual shaky grip on what was reality and what was false, caused the deeply suppressed memories of his relationship with Esdeath to break loose back into his mind as every last detail came flooding back into him. " _Aaaagh! Aaaaah!"_

"Now, do you remember everything about yourself, me? I'm like this, because of her and soon... You'll be the exact same, Tatsumi." As Tatsumi cried out in agony, clutching his head tightly. His mental projection of the future ahead, walked with steady steps to him as they looked on him with sorrow.

"Perhaps, you already _are_ but you refuse to acknowledge it. People often try to save themselves alot of grief by disassociation and pretending that everything is normal, just as you've been doing by refusing to accept the deaths of your comrades." Every single painful word bore into Tatsumi's mind, like razor-sharp knives straight into the beating heart. Pain gave way to sadness, and sadness gave way to anger as it arose strongly, grinding his teeth together with raised fists. Tatsumi lunged at the phantom, flying straight through them as they threw their fists forward. "What the... Hell? Why can't I hit you, if you're as real as you say you are! I should be able to kick that smug head of your clean off...!"

"Oh I'm real, _very_ real. Watch this." Immediately using his own combative knowledge against him, Tatsumi's phantom took to sweeping him from the floor with his legs. Using his hands to rotate himself to the angles required for the finishing move, as he leapt back unto his feet upon the conclusion of his move. "Do you see, how pointless it is to oppose me? You cannot change the future, it is already written and paved in stone. And you eventually succumb, to hopelessness and your lovely girlfriend's mad love."

"Aaah... _Hrrn_." Clutching his fists tightly, Tatsumi stayed down.

Panting heavily, faced down on his stomach. Spread out, with his head resting sideways on the floor. Tatsumi merely kept motionless, listening to his copies's words, gradually trying to understand their meaning now instead of rebuffing him constantly as he previously tried to do. Even so, Tatsumi refused to be broken nor bent by somebody who had been influenced so strongly by sadistically crazy like Esdeath. Lifting himself to his knees to regain his stamina, Tatsumi quietly mentally reflected on the irony of Esdeath being referred to as his lovely "Girlfriend." and whilst that wouldn't be utterly inaccurate considering their intimate relationship. To Tatsumi, the passage of being boyfriend and girlfriend required trust, balance and mutual love.

A perfectly balanced, but more importantly stable union.

His twisted relationship wasn't filled with either one of those important aspects to the required amount, they were intimate passionate lovers but only because Esdeath strongly refused to let Tatsumi live with her as he did without receiving everything that she felt entitled to. He knew that Esdeath herself was well aware of the distance that kept them from being equals, she didn't desire such. As previously stated, Esdeath desired somebody that she could mold into her ideal partner. A younger boy, and Tatsumi was ripe for that at eighteen years old as she herself were only twenty two years. She was largely hypocritical, as Esdeath yearned for Tatsumi's innocent love and craved his most trusting aspects but she didn't want him to spare any for anyone else either.

Unaware that her desire to see him become stronger through hardening his emotions gradually caused those same aspects to slowly wither and die.

"If... You had any sense left in your head, whatsoever." Darkly brushing himself off at the coat, Tatsumi shot one notably sinister glare at his opposite. Letting his killing intent rise explosively, as he finished the sentence to completion. " _ **You'd know that my girlfriend is dead, faker**._"

"Not entirely, accurate. She exists and lives in this world of ours, because you choose so." Extending his hand, Tatsumi's counterpart caused the illusionary visage of Mine to appear before the scowling enraged Tatsumi, vanishing as quickly as it appeared seconds later. Causing him to momentarily loosen up, as intended. "You can't tempt me, I already know the truth."

"None of this is real, it's just falsehood after falsehood."

"But what if you could forget, as you did before our encounter? I could make it so, and you could live the remainder of your life in this world. Nobody has to die, and everything goes as planned for you. No slip ups, no unexpected betrayals and absolutely no sign of Esdeath." Being honest with himself in full, Tatsumi knew had the circumstances been different then he'd have accepted that offer without reservation. He knew that Esdeath would keep him alive, and that he'd be allowed to stay alive in the real world to prolong the dream as much as he could. Everything felt real to him, if it weren't for the hallucinations trying to warn him then he'd have been completely swayed by the awful falsehood of it all.

But, to Tatsumi. His mind was already made up. "You know, if you had asked me alot sooner than you had... Way sooner. I'd have said so, that I accept."

"I mean, why wouldn't I want this? I can't bring my friends back, but if I could revisit my memories whenever I wanted... It'd almost be as if I was seeing them again, for real." He continued.

"But, well to put it bluntly... I'm a Dad." Tatsumi chuckled, scratching the back of his head. He oddly felt pretty good about saying that, even if his next words didn't exactly make that all that clear to his doppelganger. "Even if I never wanted to be, with the one person that's responsible for pretty much every single hell in my life alone."

"But that's no fault of his, he's blameless and innocent in that." Closing his eyes, Tatsumi reflected on the words that came from his own mouth, they were from the heart.

"Do you realize, how goddamn foolish that sounds, do you? Wise up, already! She's raised him fine without yo-" The fake yelled back, trying to sway his original back to his delusions.

"I wasn't exactly finished, you pest." Tatsumi had no care for the sheer rudeness of his words, especially as they were focused on practically himself. "And you're wrong about that, so damn wrong. She hasn't raised him right, in every single possible way. He's horribly twisted, exceedingly unhappy with his life and impossibly deranged... He's only just ten years old, and he's experienced more pain than either of us put together."

"In short, his future... _Our_ future sucks."

"His eyes don't lie, they're supposed to be wide expressive orbs of childish naivety... Not the narrowed sharp cold eyes of somebody who's taken lives, and enjoyed doing so." Spitting to the floor below in disgust, Tatsumi waited for his counterpart's response as they simply chuckled back. "I figured you'd say something heroic like that, you know. But you're right, as usual. Then again, what else could you have expected him to turn out like, when you've got Esdeath as the maternal figure?"

"No argument from me on that point, but don't underestimate her. Esdeath may be crazy, but she's worth her weight in salt. She certainty looks after her own, it's one of her redeeming features that I've come to equally loathe and appreciate..." Tatsumi had to agree with that, she had spared him alot of trouble and protected him from the vengeful intents of the entire Imperial Court, even Great General Budo wasn't able to sway her from protecting Tatsumi. "I'd be dead without her protection, and even when we've argued and fought... She hasn't let that up, she is a woman of her word."

"Come on, me... Are you saying that if the circumstances were different, then you'd both be able to create a child together that wasn't one complete utter sociopath, huh? Is that what you're trying to get across to me, that you just need to **_"Try again."_** a few more times to get the process nailed down, or is that your loins doing the talkin'?" Mocking Tatsumi for his way of reasoning and the deeply buried fact that Tatsumi had begun to enjoy the consistent passionate sex with Esdeath as much as he despised the idea of laying in the bed of his worst enemy, night after night, he kept up the assault with more harrowing words of truth.

"Sex is great, right?" A wide smirk appeared on Tatsumi's doubles face, licking his lips whilst curling one strand of his hair on his fingertip.

"Sure, she savagely bites you and tries to claw you into bloody torn pieces like a wild animal." He continued. "You are the envy of the Empire, Tatsumi. Every single male in her Military, your age or above must've thought of doing what you've done..."

"Not only that, too."

"Your practically beyond convinced that she'll devour you whole eventually, but doesn't it feel great, ol' me? The way she lovingly caresses you inside her folds, the way that she squeezes you so tightly and the way she always ensures that your satisfied to the fullest extent?" As expected, Tatsumi's mind was read as if it were one very simple book. But Tatsumi already figured that was exactly what he was doing to him, so any embarrassment caused by his words were brushed away easily. "Oh yeah, I'll be the first to say that Esdeath is excellent in bed. But, it's not exactly hard to see why, when she's fueled onwards by her instincts."

"Fight and fornicate, that's it simply put." Tatsumi began laughing bitterly himself as he'd nod to his own words, then continued moments after. "Infact, I'm not so surprised by the jealous glares that I receive daily anymore. By people that believe I am no less deserving of her than the dirt below my boots, but there's the difference between myself and them."

"It's that you never once tried to willingly put yourself in the position that you are today, isn't it?" His doppelganger being the person that he was, understood completely as they both exchanged a heartfelt nod together as comrades in arms. "Even when, everything else was exhausted... You constantly kept trying to avoid this route, and she knew that."

"...It took..." The doppelganger's suddenly left eye began to quiver notably, as a single tear began to fall from it as Tatsumi finished his line for him. "Our Mine's death, for us to finally fall."

"And, she kept trying and trying..." Tatsumi offhandedly mentioned afterwards, partly whilst reflecting the times before. "But if there's anything to take away from this, is that I won't stop trying either but not for her but for my son that I share with her."

They'd be no immediate response from his sadly smiling counterpart, as they stood, now silently turned away from him. When the response came, it was one of satisfaction and contentment. They breathed out, and pulled the collar from his throat then dropped it unto the floor below. Turning on his side, to look his original former self. "My work is done, I'm no longer required..."

"But be warned, there are worst things that you may turn into... Than just me." At that moment, Tatsumi saw the shadow of his other self resting across the marble floor immediately form into the shape of an Danger Beast. More specifically, Tyrant that slept inside Incursio. Right on cue, his other's body suddenly contorted horribly as his pale skin became wracked with scales. Two horns grew from the sides of his head, and his fingernails came talons. Yelling loudly in agony as the slow gradual transformation into Danger Beast from man occurred before Tatsumi's horrified eyes, literally watching himself become less than human within' seconds.

"Hey, what's happening?! Answer me, get ahold of yourself!" Tatsumi cried, dashing closer.

Thankfully, the transformation halted before the doppelganger's humanoid shape was lost forever to Tyrant's will. "Don't... Don't let yourself become consumed by your own power. Control your emotions, _and..."_

"We'll take it from here, kid." Bulat kindly said, accompanied by one of his trademark winks. Appearing from the depths of the darkness, from the void beyond to catch the copy Tatsumi then scoop him up in his arms. As the rest of Night Raid minus Akame, Leone and Mine. Chelsea and Susanoo included came from the shadows following along behind the one Hundred Man Slayer. "We're all rooting for you, kid."

"So, if you ever believe that you're alone in the world... You aren't." Bulat continued, as Tatsumi stood in the darkness overwhelmed by emotion. "And if you feel lonely, think of us... And times that we shared, however short and bittersweet they were."

"You guys..." Tatsumi choked up, as his tears began to form in his eyes. Closing them, to avoid them falling down. "Hey, toughen up, kid...! I won't condone the path that you've taken up, but you've got good heart and that's what counts." Najenda verbally slapped Tatsumi, causing him to unwittingly laugh in response. "Even so, if you fuck up massively then I'll just need to beat your ass in the afterlife, ha!"

"I won't argue against that, boss. My ass is yours to beat, if I let you down." Tatsumi rolled his shoulders, nodding to her with an bow.

"Eh, but if you fail then it'll be your head on the spike instead." Chelsea lightly mocked him from the crowd, licking on her lollipop to tease him. Despite the grim factor of her words, it'd be largely Tatsumi's mind causing her to behave as she did, hence why she was fine with her words and snark.

"Preserve your strength, Tatsumi. March onwards steadily, and you'll become a great man in the future." Susanoo smiled to him, as he lightly bowed his head. "I will do, I'll make sure I make you proud of me, my friend."

"Aw, man! Aw man, can somebody go before me? I hate sad goodbyes, guys!" Lubbock lamented, as he'd falsely wipe away tears jokingly before giving Tatsumi thumbs up. "Don't worry, Tatsumi. I'll keep Najenda company, so don't shake off your mortal coil as quickly as I did..."

By this point, Tatsumi noticed that his double's body had gradually began recovering from the effects of merging with Incursio, Tyrant's flesh. Not only that, they slowly healed from their exposure to Esdeath as their body began to resemble his own closely now instead of being the product of Esdeath's twisted sense of love. His skintone becoming more tan, than pale. His attention was drawn away from that, as somebody Tatsumi couldn't bare nor bring himself to look at came from behind the crowd towards him.

Sheele.

Aside Mine, it was Sheele that Tatsumi felt he had failed the most in Night Raid. As she came closer to him, Tatsumi's legs completely gave out as he fell unto his knees, hard and rough. Unable to hold back tears, Sheele embraced him into her loving arms as she had done before as Tatsumi instinctively wrapped his own arms around her waist for comfort, practically clinging to her warmth. "Don't blame yourself, Tatsumi. I don't blame you, nor does anyone."

Her words were angelic, sweet and devoid of any ill-intent nor malice. She was just so beautiful to him, plain and simple. Even in his sleeping memories, Tatsumi's mind could still bitter-sweetly recall the gentle tones that always put him to rest. "I failed you, I've failed everyone..."

"You haven't, Tatsumi. You just think that, besides... None of us were heroes like you thought, we were Assassins in the end." At her words, Tatsumi violently shook the head resting against her stomach as he clung harder unto her waist. "That's... That's no true, at all. You were my friends, and I just can't live without any of you."

"I... I can hardly recognize my own life anymore, and it's worse when I look in the mirror at night, Sheele...!"

"All I see is another person looking back at me!" Tatsumi ranted loudly in the midst of his tearful mental breakdown, as the other Night Raid members looked on wordlessly with notable sadness as they let the two have their moment in peace, undisturbed. "And I've begun to hate that same person, I can hardly look-"

She cut him cleanly off.

"But that wonderful person is still and _always_ has been you, Tatsumi."

His green orbs widened, as he lifted his sunken depressed head from her small stomach's warmth and exchanged eye contact for the first time. "And that's the you that I first met, and still adore."

"How can I know any of this, is true? You're..." Tatsumi stopped himself from saying it, as he honestly didn't want to face the harsh reality of it. "You're just my memories, in the end."

"But you've shared deep connections with every single one of us, Tatsumi." Sheele gently stroked his hair as she held him close, continuing with her words, undisturbed aside from the sounds of Tatsumi's quiet sobbing. "And whilst we kept secrets, we were open with you... You let us be our best selves, the people that we were meant to be and become."

"Just as you were meant to become this, Tatsumi." Placing her hands to his shoulders, Sheele lifted Tatsumi back unto his feet. Giving him support to climb up from his depressive state, as Tatsumi kept his vision fixed to the ground in woe. "...But, Sheele. The woman that took your life, is back from the dead."

Breaking from the current mood, Sheele immediately knocked Tatsumi straight on the head lightly with her fist as she giggled at his words. "Then change that, Tatsumi. Your apart of the infamous Night Raid, aren't you? Knock that girl down one or two pegs, for good measure!"

Laughing abit at her words, Tatsumi regained the sense of justice in himself as his life didn't seem so bleak and hopeless anymore. His friends were with him, knowing his satisfaction was soon to come, Sheele departed from Tatsumi as the boy reached out to her for one last time, only to let his hand drop back down to his side in sadness. Quietly muttering one last apology in his mind.

Lastly, Mine materialized infront of the group's position as the rest of the Night Raid turned to their side to wordlessly exchange heartfelt waves and kind smiles with Tatsumi. Vanishing through the symbolic light doorway that recently presented itself openly in the darkness of the world around them. A passageway from the collapsing void in the background.

Now, they were together alone, at last.

Mine and Tatsumi.

 _"Mine..."_ Tatsumi choked up as she hushed him, stepping decidedly closer to him as they embrace lovingly together. Unlike whenever Tatsumi's body was wrapped up by Esdeath, they'd be no instinctual hunger or predatory notions from Mine. No urges to hurt him for kicks, nor overwhelming lust for his body. This was the Mine that Tatsumi remembered in his head, so she couldn't reveal the truth about her death to him as neither Tatsumi or Mine being held by him knew about it. "I lost you... And I don't know how I did."

"You haven't lost me, Tatsumi. You're so stubborn, sometimes." It was now that Tatsumi began regretting abit about the choice to leave the dreamworld behind him, as everything about Mine drew Tatsumi. Even if Tatsumi knew that she wasn't real, it was better than reality. Where she didn't exist in his life at all, forbidden to even so much as speak her name. "I just... I just wish that I didn't need to wake up, Mine."

"But you do, Tatsumi. I assure you, I've got no love for that Ice-Bitch but that kid is still half of you, so I can't completely loathe his existence as much as I want too." Surprisingly, Mine's jealously was very muted. Largely due to her not sharing the information that her real self did, else it'd be vastly worse. "So knock some good sense into him, and don't let yourself be overwhelmed."

"...Because I'll haunt you myself if you so, Tatsumi." Mine's expression became ominous, greatly ominous as Tatsumi felt sudden chills descend straight down the back of his spine. Nodding heavily, Tatsumi's hands were taken ahold of by Mine, as she kissed him deeply on the lips. Which, he strongly returned with passion as whilst Tatsumi's hands were tightly holding unto her own, he noticed that she was slowly slipping away from his touch. Subconsciously unwilling to let this happen, Tatsumi tried to reach out to Mine, to wrap his arms around her back only to notice that she was already standing by the doorway.

 _No, I can't let her leave!_ Tatsumi sharply thought, as he bolted straight to Mine's location as his girlfriend faded into the light from the passage with her final words echoing out in his head.

"Your heart is mine, Tatsumi. She can never have that, even if she holds your body hostage. Our love is special, we're equals in love and happiness..." They grew quieter and quieter in Tatsumi's head as the doorway collapse into the darkness, completely leaving Tatsumi alone on the marble floor. "Mine, don't leave me! Come back, Mine! _MINE!_ "

With the tears sliding from his cheeks, Tatsumi's eyes spotted the marble white floor becoming gradually consumed by the darkness as the floating platform became smaller and smaller as he realized that he'd soon become apart of it too. Bitterly chuckling in reflection, Tatsumi fell back to his knees as he accepted his fate to be swallowed by the void and washed away by it's taint. "So, this is my fate? To die inside my own mind, abandoned and alone..."

"Awfully, fitting if I'll say so." Tatsumi rolled his shoulders, closing his eyes and awaited for his eventual slow death. That is, if he hadn't heard the next familiar words that forced him to open his eyes and stare at their source. "Lift your head, Dad. I've come to save you, as you wish to save me."

" _...Save me?_ " Tatsumi questioned.

Floating two meters from the ground below that came seeped in black, Makoto extended his hand to his Dad as he came close, waiting for it to be held. Tatsumi hesitated to take it, as he felt unwilling to leave the darkness that would soon take him unrelentingly as he believed it was his place to suffer but then Makoto strongly pulled unto Tatsumi's wrist, the boy's expression defiant and angry. "It is not your place to dwell in despair, Dad."

"But, I want to..." Tatsumi tried, as he felt awfully guilty, partly afraid that he may accidentally drag the boy down into the personal hell along with himself as they both arose skyward, to the fading light above. "No, you don't. You said so yourself that you want to help me, didn't you?"

Tatsumi's eyes widened in shock, as Makoto exchanged the glance with his own pair of green orbs. "Uphold that promise, Dad."

"For the future, our family's future and the world's future." Before Tatsumi could reply, they were consumed by the radiant light and spared from the darkness. Then, two hours later.

Tatsumi awoke from his comatose induced slumber, and saw the real world for the first time in one month and one whole week. Completely unaware of the carnage and chaos that Esdeath had caused in his absence, Tatsumi had been unable to stop, nor limit it from his rest. The dream had finally ended, and the dreamer was awake, awake to discover what she had done.

Two hours prior to Tatsumi's eventual awakening, Great General Esdeath and Kraygarr were currently sparring together in one of the Palace's Training Rooms, being watched by Makoto and the other two of her Beasts. Abduin sat playing cards with Nash in the corner of the room, whom currently kept one cup of tea near him. Abduin preferred rum, from his Navy days and instead drank that. Having no more duties to attend too, since it was already midday in the Capital.

"Aha, Imperial Flush! Gotcha, old man!" Nash cried out in victory, displaying his Card Hand as Abduin lowly scoffed at his loss to the younger man. "Aye, you win. Fair and square, Nash."

"Ha, unlike you.. I have _two_ sleeves in which to hide cards, you've only got one~! Not that I cheated, you know." As they had both served as Admiral's in the Navy, Abduin took some offense to this as he leaned closer towards Nash, whom did the same. "Do you recall what they did to Card Sharks in the Navy, Rear-Admiral?"

"Oh yeah, I've loped off plenty hands in my time, Abduin." Nash grinned back, as he arose from his chair before sliding it back against the table. Sipping his tea, until it was empty as he'd place it back down unto the table. In which Makoto, whom had been paying close attention to the largely one-sided fight between his Mother and her fierce but outclassed subordinate, crept to their spot.

"Explain the rules, I'll play with you." Makoto decidedly said, he had finished his studies for the day and opted to spent some time with his Mother instead of secluding himself in the library, Nash seemed surprised at this as he shrugged before pulling the chair outwards for him. "It's all yours, Young Master Makoto."

"I will leave the old timer's second defeat, at your capable hands." Whilst Nash's words appeared to be largely humorous, they were largely respectful in nature as Esdeath would've clearly slapped him upside the head, if they weren't. It wasn't the threat of that which made him respectful, however but because Nash eagerly desired to watch the boy's growth in power. Which, like Abduin had done himself. Nash figured Makoto's eventual rise would place him at the peak, becoming a entity capable to control the world, or even worse.

 _Destroy it._

Thus, he desired to serve as the Ice Prince's loyal attendant, to steady him onwards to that specific pathway. "I will depart, my duties have been completed and I needn't asked to be dismissed."

"Farewell, Nash... But if you talk smack about my arm once more, I'll beat you without using it, one handed." Abduin spoke to the departing Beast, whilst shuffling the cards swiftly in his hands. Makoto kept quiet, and sat on the chair to await Abduin's explanations. In the background, Makoto observed Kraygarr being tossed from across the hall for the third time since they started, straight into one of the nearby walls. Keeping tight hold of his Teigu Axes, even while flying through the air.

The boy almost felt sorry for his Mother's current chosen training partner.

"Stand up, Kraygarr." Esdeath slightly mocked him, as she brushed off her uniform before rolling her shoulder backwards. Raising her longsword Rapier to him, Esdeath patiently awaited for him to stand, so they could continue. They had been sparring together for twenty minutes, Esdeath clearly holding back against him and allowing Kraygarr to make strikes and blows, in which she either avoided them or parried, warding any attempt to hit her with redirection using her blade. As expected, he hadn't landed so much as a strike on her body despite being ordered to not hold back.

Smiling at him, baring her teeth. Esdeath's lust for more thrills increased, as when Kraygarr arose up to resume the fight. She immediately knocked him back down, with one firm slam of her heel. "Too slow, little man."

"Way too slow."

"Ugggh, my apologies Master Esdeath..." Kraygarr groaned, steadily trying to lift himself as Esdeath kept her heel on him. "If you don't arise quicker, then I'll treat it as insubordination because you didn't heed my orders fast enough."

That said, Esdeath felt somewhat of an kinship with the determined outmatched warrior as they had similar backgrounds, nonetheless she was ruthless with him as she was with anyone else, par her two boys. So, every single one of her mocking insults merely served as motivation for him to try and surpass her ability in combat.

Finally releasing him, Esdeath leapt backwards and slid across the floor away some meters to create distance. Dragging her sword along the way to cause sparks, to emit. She had intentionally restricted herself from using her Teigu, and instead opted to purely rely on her instincts and speed in battle. Using some of the training that she enforced on Tatsumi on herself as she wanted him to be able to fight without Incursio, due to it's risky behaviour as of late. Since Tatsumi's growth with Incursio had surpassed her own growth with the Demon's Extract, surprisingly enough.

" _Raaaaaagh_! Here I come, prepare yourself...!" Intelligently realizing that Esdeath wasn't going to stop, until he was down and out. "Don't hold back, try to satisfy my thrills and you'll be rewarded greatly!"

Kraygarr charged blindly towards her direction, with his axes raised. They increased the base movement speed of his legs, with their tremendous power and kept his senses sharp but it wasn't enough, as he was unable to perceive nor protect himself from the Ice Queen's oncoming knee to the stomach as the force of the impact hurled up straight skyward to the ceiling as he fell unconscious falling back down.

But, before Kraygarr struck the ground below, Esdeath caught him by the foot as she held him high in the air without dropping him from the height. Instead, she simply let him down softly and placed him into the recovery position, to ensure that he wouldn't choke on blood nor vomit. Sighing euphorically at her victory, Esdeath gently patted her subordinate on the head, congratulating him for lasting as long as he did.

"Twenty five minutes, that's a new personal best against me. You did well, as your Commander, I am satisfied with your performance." She mused, before lifting herself up and adjusting her cap as her eyes came to Makoto and Abduin playing cards together with each other. Smiling at them, she was tempted to disturb them as she noticed Fate entering inside the Training Hall from it's second entrance. Drawing her attention from the two at the moment. The room itself completely vacant, aside from the unconscious Kraygarr on the floor below, herself, Makoto and Abduin.

The Jaegers were free to do as they like, so naturally Wave and Kurome were together and Seryu was helping the Imperial Guard in the Capital. Dr. Stylish being on his island, many distances away from the Imperial Palace but some leftover members from Team Stylish were operating in the Capital on his orders thus reported directly to Esdeath.

"Mistress Esdeath, you wished to see me?" Fate bowed herself downwards, and kept herself there until Esdeath's fingertip lifted her chin up enough to share eye contact, intimate eye contact. Unfortunately for Fate, Esdeath's expression was positively dripping with leftover sadism from her short bout with her unconscious subordinate, whom she saw laying on the floor behind her Mistress's position. Fate also spotted the Ice Prince, playing cards with another of her Mistress's beasts.

She felt somewhat of an alluring presence about the boy, unaware that it was because they shared the same blood in their veins. Makoto, naturally and Fate, artificially. Like Esdeath, she yearned to be close to him too.

"Of course, I assumed Kraygarr wouldn't be able to extinguish my strong desire for violence and I can't be as rough with him as I can with my Tatsumi, so I called for you." Esdeath explained, as she lightly twirled her cap on her finger in boredom. Usually, Esdeath would've made off to the Torture Chambers to have abit of sadistic fun there, but she wanted to remain close to Makoto and even closer to her quarters as she had felt Tatsumi's mind arise from it's slumber only to sink back more in the recent days, days which she had spent getting _very_ reacquainted with Fate's body in the Torture Chambers.

So say the least, Esdeath was largely pent up. No matter what she did, be it combat or torture in the days that passed them by. None of it helped relieve her emotional agony, as she bitterly knew what was causing her hunger to present itself. What gnawing feeling kept leaving her so unsatisfied and unhappy, she hated being distracted from her duties, because she felt unrelieved.

Simply put, she wanted sex.

Esdeath's bestial instincts were ablaze, and she hadn't had Tatsumi in her warm depths for about one whole month, combined with the growing stress of her workplace duties and Makoto's previous affectionate restricted persona. She badly needed release with her mate, but kept herself away from him by one of the few morals that she held. Esdeath condoned the awful rape that her forces subjected their enemies to, but she didn't advocate it for herself in regards to her own love as she knew rape never led to any good loving relationships thus Esdeath was forced to deny and ignore the growing tightness in her chest to remain in control of herself. Esdeath's time with Tatsumi during his coma had been largely innocent, when they took baths and more recently when they slept. Taking tremendous amounts of care to avoid hurting him.

Regardless, Esdeath was partly afraid that if Tatsumi purposefully kept himself away from her upon awakening from his fallen state or refused to be intimate with her when recovered, then she may not exactly be able to withhold herself from violating him and claiming her rights.

Meanwhile, Fate kept a glance on the blue haired youth in the distance.

Fate knew whom Makoto was, but they hadn't spoke. Unaware that Makoto knew exactly, who and what Fate were, as unlike everyone else in the past that he had met thus far aside from the clear few mentioned... Makoto actually recognized Fate from the future, as she had served his Mother in the coldness of the Ice Kingdom in that Future world, too.

"Shift Kraygarr to the side. And assume the position opposite your Mistress, Fate." Esdeath smiled, whilst baring her teeth proudly again. Fitting her cap back unto her head, as she flexed her arm to knock some of her long hair back behind herself. This time, she threw her longsword to the floor away from her position as the thud of it's impact, caused Makoto and Abduin to pause their game to watch them both. Fate knew what Esdeath wanted, she wanted to physically assault her pet and make her bend to her whims.

"Prepare yourself, Fate. Because I'm going to _hurt_ you, really really badly." Keeping her dangerous smile, Esdeath awaited for Fate to place Kraygarr away from the combative area, raising one of her eyebrows when Fate opted to kick the Three Beast away to slide across the floor on his side with her boot. "As you say, Mistress. I will do what I can to satisfy you."

"Now, aren't you just perfect, Fate. So willing to please and excite your Mistress, I almost feel bad for neglecting you for so long." Fate's current attire would be akin to outfit worn by the Three Beasts, she had asked for a uniform befitting of her upon the exclusion of one of Esdeath's games with her down in the Torture Chambers and was given it when she was satisfied with her level of submission.

So, her clothes consisted of jetblack leather boots, leather leggings finally accompanied by a Military jacket that strongly resembled Esdeath's own but lacking any sleeves, gloves and any additional accessories. The chest pocket was sewn together with the cross of the Partas Clan, as her cleavage was displayed enough to show the branded mark of the Ice Demon on her chest. Unlike Makoto, whom kept his own hidden at all times.

"But, remind me. Wherever did you receive those strange veins on your wrists, I've poisoned you before but you've never reacted that badly to it." For once, Esdeath seemed genuinely concerned for Fate's condition. Mainly due to the fact that she hadn't squeezed every last drop of her usefulness out from her yet. The Ice Queen's once excited fierce expression became neutral as she patiently awaited for the requested answer from the opposing loyal subordinate whilst keeping her hands unto her shapely hips. "I recall you poisoning me, during our earlier trips but I've recovered from that... I believe I received this wound whilst I was in the Western Regions, I fought against four different Danger Beasts and fell unconscious but when I awoke..."

Esdeath intently listened to Fate's story, acknowledging every word that escaped her Jaeger's lips. "They were dead, every last one."

In the past, Esdeath had used the Imperial Garden as a good resource for Torture equipment, specifically when it came to Poison. The Imperial Garden contained a variety of flower that when exposed to open wounds, caused tremendous agonizing amounts of pain unto the victim. She fondly recalled informing Ran of this fact, so that he may use it himself later. Regardless of her previous usage with poison in the field. Esdeath preferred to use purely physical means when it came to that vice as she knew that Honest was large on poison use to achieve his own aims and being as she was, she wanted to distance herself from his practices to create her own system of fear.

"Mistress Esdeath, I don't mean to describe myself as something inhuman... But it's possible that I've become different, in someway." Fate quietly replied, keeping her eyes to her wrists, covered with black visible veins. She felt odd, since Esdeath hadn't said one single word since she began, but Fate soon discovered why that was as her Mistress's knee came landing firm into her stomach, to knock her across the room unto her back.

"G-Gah-! Kuk!"

Fate slid across the room as she groaned loudly in pain, upon making contact with the hard floor of the Training Hall. Holding her stomach hard, Esdeath had knocked the wind straight from her pet's lungs. Taking sadistic pleasure in observing her squirms, drawing closer with decided steps. Esdeath's hands hadn't left her hips, once during this time. "That'll teach you, Fate."

"Wha... What is the lesson to be learnt, Mistress?!" Huffing and panting loudly, Fate crawled forwards unto her knees. Not ready to fight back, but instead desperate to learn exactly what her Mistress meant. "It's simple, Fate. Accept what you are, and what you've become... It's clear that you've been altered by your contact with the Danger Beast, and it's imprinted unto you."

"You've become no less than a beast, enchained to your instincts and passions but you maintain human form." Esdeath began looming over Fate, grinning widely at her own personal pet experiment. The Ice Queen callously continued her speech. "You've become beautiful, truly beautiful. I will make good use of your talents, I will work you to death and only then once you've achieved the limit of your power."

"You will _die_." Esdeath threw Fate's head to the side with a kick, knocking her back unto the floor with one hard boot across the face. Fate partly expected this, as she shook from Esdeath's words. Due to her anticipation, Fate managed to pull herself to her feet quicker than before. "B-But, I can't be a Beast... I'm human, I feel human...! I can't be reduced to just another simplistic creature, I'm more than that..."

"You are, exactly what I say you are, Fate." Esdeath affirmed strongly, as she began encircling her prey through her slow steps. Lightly allowing her finger to glide across the back of her pet's back as she taunted Fate non-verbally to make a move. Fate didn't move, as she only shook her head in refusal of her Mistress's words, rare but clear defiance. Causing Esdeath to suddenly halt, and curiously glance at her subordinate. "Is that defiance, Fate? Against your superior and your Mistress, mhm?"

"Even without our unique special dynamic, if you disobey me as your Military Leader then you'll be dealt with severely." This fact was true, even for Tatsumi.

Often whenever Tatsumi had previously disobeyed one of her orders, nor acted out of line as a member of her forces. Esdeath enforced punishments on him, but considering Tatsumi hadn't been apart of the Empire for no longer than three months, plus the month that had just passed during his coma. He hadn't received as many punishments as he should've had. Esdeath was painstakingly gentle with him, she always kept her punishments with him to be cruel but kind as she did not wish to nurture a sense of hatred in him for her as it when during her punishments that their relationship as lovers became obsolete.

Just Superior and Subordinate.

Unlike Fate's punishments for acting out of line, that were usually Torture Chamber related. Tatsumi's were that Esdeath be allowed to fight him without restraint. Often limiting his options to fight in various different ways that amused her whenever she felt like playing with him. Sometimes, she'd blindfold him to rob him of his sight. Another she'd prevent him from using Incursio until halfway through their fights, only to put him down with one swift blow.

But, Esdeath being the insecure person that she was, despite not admitting it. Always ensured that once Tatsumi's wounds were healed, they'd partake in one long session of lovemaking that was completely devoid of the usual aspects of their savage mating together. It was slow, gentle and passionate. Esdeath allowed Tatsumi to stay on top for this act, allowing him to sink himself deeper into her welcoming squishy flesh and embrace her strongly.

They'd be no hard bloody bites against his skin, no painful pulling of his wavy brown hair nor any possessive demands that he'd vocalize his submission to her by calling her name out in ecstasy. Even if Esdeath largely preferred to do things as she usually did, she knew that Tatsumi would gradually be swayed to her side if she allowed him to behave as he wanted without restraint.

Fate halted, as Esdeath waited patiently for her response with teeth widely bared in excitement. Then, Fate's body posture loosened up and she became docile. Releasing the tightness on her fists, to let them go. Acknowledging this, Esdeath crept behind Fate and strongly placed her hands against her shoulders to lean closer. "Now, what are you again~?"

"A Beast... Just a _simple_ obedient beast..." Fate emptily replied, whilst she knew Esdeath was directly behind her position, her eyes were fixed forwards without any visual indication that she was paying attention to the sadistic woman behind her back. Abduin's eyes were focused on Fate, as Makoto made the winning move in the card game that they were currently playing, having learnt and mastered the rules within' minutes of learning them.

"That puts us on equal scores, Abduin." Makoto stated, as he reshuffled his cards back into the main deck. Letting Abduin do the same, as he stood up suddenly. "I will take my leave, I'll collect Kraygarr and proceed to our quarters."

"Understood, I look forward to playing with you again." Unknown to Abduin, Makoto had legitimately enjoyed playing the game. Innocently pondering if Tatsumi knew how to play, as he wanted to beat his Father at the card game in a childish way to earn his approval. He waited on the chair as he watched Abduin walk over to his comrade, whom was currently collecting himself as he timely regained consciousness.

"Uuhn, did I black out?" Kraygarr groaned, as Abduin helped him back to his feet. The Axe-wielding warrior observing his Mistress taunting Fate with clear sadism in her eyes as he glanced back to the Navy Admiral. "No, you were laid out and then replaced by the new Jaeger."

"Ah, I see." Kragyarr would've usually bid his Master farewell as he moved to leave, but figured that she was busy enough thus followed Abduin as they left the Training Hall behind them to proceed back to their quarters on the upper levels of the Palace.

Twenty Five minutes passed, Esdeath currently sat writing on her desk on the administrative levels of the Palace accompanied by two of her loyal Aides from her forces. Lieutenant Rogers and Captain Torres. Standing directly infront of the desk, holding clipboards containing the various reports that they needed to inform their commander of. Captain Torres, stood firmly upright and held her head high with her hair neatly tied together into a ponytail. One of Esdeath's most ardent supporters amongst her forces, she deeply admired her Commander and aspired to just like her in the future.

Rogers was one of Esdeath's newly recruited members, who had quickly risen in her ranks, despite lacking any notable powers or Teigu. His physical form was lean and slender even if everyone remarked him for being a massive glutton when it came to food in the Imperial Canteen. His hair and eyes were blonde and aquatic blue respectively, shoulder length and spiky. He were the first to speak, as his foreign accent were heard.

"Ma'am, as shown by the received reports from the Western Front. The tribes that formerly allied with the Revolutionary Army are receding back, General Agotian's forces are gaining additional ground by the way." Rogers explained, as he held the clipboard to his face. General Agotian was currently stationed away from the Capital, on the Western Front whilst General Morgana was kept back at the Capital to assist in the search for Night Raid's two remaining members.

Esdeath paused in her writing as she perked her eyebrow, as Captain Torres continued with her own report. "Great General, you're meeting with the Prime Minister and the Emperor is due today. They've pushed the date forwards, as we've been able to purge the former Great General's taint from the Empire quicker than expected."

Smiling widely, Esdeath held her cap as she leaned backwards on her chair. "Excellent, everything is how it should be. Now, I have news."

The two Aides immediately straightened themselves up in orderly fashion, Torres vastly quicker than Rogers in her salute. Showing her experience at serving Esdeath.

"Yes, Great General. " Torres proudly affirmed, with Rogers staying quiet. "As I've explained, I have reassigned Major Tatsumi from the Jaegers and replaced him with the newly added Fate from my assortment of Pets. Major Tatsumi will be joining you as apart of my Aides, but Captain Torres..."

"What is it that you need of me, Great General?" Torres excitedly responded, trying to mask it whilst failing as Esdeath's sweet tone made her shudder in anticipation. "Major Tatsumi will be overtaking your duties as my chief Aide, you will be reassigned elsewhere when I find room for you, until then you may take leave."

Unknown to either Esdeath nor Rogers, Torres's world was spun upside down within' that moment. Aside from Tatsumi, his son closely accompanied by the Jaegers and the Three Beasts. The closest person to Esdeath when it came to how her Legions were run were Torres, whom saw being reassigned away from her position at the Ice Queen's side as another result of Tatsumi's influence on her. Perfectly masking her hatred for the Turncoat, she brushed it off and smiled to her Commander.

"Of course, Great General." Bowing her kindly, she took firm hard grip of her clipboard as the paper began to crease from it. Rogers gave the woman somewhat of an glance, as he turned to Esdeath before speaking up. "What exactly about me, Great General?"

"You will assist Tatsumi in the workplace, you'll be his assistant as much as you are mine." Resuming to finish writing, Esdeath signed her name elegantly unto the sheet of paper and slid it neatly into the dossier before handing it over to Rogers. "Deliver this to General Morgana, it'll explain her next move in her search."

"The contents of the document are highly classified information, so I best not see it in anyone else's hands." The undertones of hostility were apparent for Rogers, as he took the dossier into his grip. Looking at it, as it'd be sealed tightly. "Understood, Great General. I won't let you down, count on it."

"For your sake, I do hope so. Dismissed." Clipping the Dossier unto his clipboard, Rogers left without another word as he noticed Torres hadn't moved as quickly as he did. Which was odd, as Torres usually accomplished her orders with clockwork precision, now she was clumsy and slow as anyone else was. When they both left, Esdeath deeply sighed into her hand. "Wake your cute little ass up, Tatsumi."

Twenty seconds passed, as Esdeath had been patiently waiting for time to tick down.

"I won't stand this for much longer..." Pausing in her drowsy monologue, Esdeath felt exactly that from the floors below, in her quarters. Tatsumi was awake, but it wasn't just for few seconds... His heartbeat from the lower floors was accelerated and alert, currently in the state of shock and alarm. She could feel movement from the room that he'd be in, Esdeath using every last aspect of her sixth sense to focus on him. Makoto was currently in the Imperial Library, so she knew that he'd felt his Father's awakening himself.

Ice began covering every aspect of the Office, as she split the desk into two terrifyingly quick with a single downward chop. Walking over it, with steady determined steps. Steps that soon became a passionate jog through her waiting rooms and then one forward darting powerful sprint through the Imperial Palace's corridors. Esdeath would be panting heavily, as her cheeks were flushed red as she ran. But she wasn't winded from her movement, far from it, she had finally gotten what she wanted and it was so close to her.

If only if it could stay where it was, and not run away.

"You're mine, my adorable litte thing. _MineMineMineMINE."_ Anyone that came across the Esdeath in this state, was thrown aside by the sheer force that she was radiating into the respective nearby walls as she smashed through doorway after doorway by the shoulder.

"I won't let you wander about, I've waited so long for this." Leaping over obstacles, and breaking anything lesser that stood in her current path. Whenever somebody from Esdeath's forces encountered her during the lust-driven sprint, provided they didn't immediately get out of the way. Esdeath took to fiercely growling loudly at them without any regard for her appearance as their superior, practically scaring them away with the bone-chilling force of mating call.

"Ah, Esdeath...? What's ever is the rush about, our meeting isn't until...!" Honest had stepped into the corridor from one of the dining halls, having enjoyed himself immensely with the provided food and dishes as he noticed Esdeath's gleaming red eyes from the distance at the opposite end of the hallway as he tried to calm her down with his booming voice, Esdeath didn't stop moving from her blindingly fast pace. She wasn't filled with killing intent, hence why Honest was calm as he was.

" _Gaaaah!_ " Honest yelled, almost throwing up everything that he had just greedily ate.

Esdeath's unintentional forceful impact, knocked Honest's large body sideways and slammed him hard into the door as it blew from it's hinges and caused them both to hurl unto the floor below. Accidentally crushing one of the waiting female attendants flat.

"I won't be denied, Tatsumi. Your body is mine, mine to do with as I wish!" Arriving at the Palace's starwell, Esdeath had to move down four individual flights of stairs until she reached the floor where the Elites of the Empire lived as she merely opted to leap directly at the end of the wall leading from the top of the stairs before bouncing herself perfectly off the other to continue the movement, zigzagging repeatedly, until she reached the end. Briefly pausing in her continuous movement. Her body crouched, and bend like a hunting animal. "Every last drop of your seed is mine to take, every strand of your hair is mine to pull from it's roots. Resistance is futile against me, Tatsumi."

"...Now I'll make you submit!" Practically hurling herself like a projectile from floor that she fixed herself to, she blew across the resulting corridor ahead of her way like a bullet fired from it's gun barrel. Flying unopposed through the air at lighting speeds until she reached the location of her quarters, halting herself as she brought her feet to the front of herself to regain her positioning. Opting against tearing her doors from their hinges, Esdeath opened them by breaking the doorknobs as she hadn't brought the key to them along the way. Her senses noticed that Tatsumi wasn't currently in the recovery room, but instead...

The study, as it's door was basically laying messily on the ground.

 _Ten minutes earlier._

As Tatsumi's eyes slowly but surely opened, for the first time in one whole month. The boy's mind, foggy and unsure. His senses immediately noted on the stuffiness of the air in the room, as it wasn't properly vented out. Nor was it filled with any evidence of daylight, causing Tatsumi to be unaware of the time of day it was currently. He couldn't feel anything below the waist, and his arms felt like he'd be sleeping on them for the entire night. His pillows had been repeatedly replaced, as were the rest of the bedding.

"Uhhn..." Tatsumi groaned, as he'd noticed that soft cotton pajamas were on him instead of his attire worn during the excursion. Unable to properly move his head, Tatsumi slowly glanced across the room as much as he possibly could to try and find exactly where he was. It seemed like Esdeath's quarters, but it'd be too small to be one of the rooms that she slept in. Trying to lift himself from the bed, he found that he couldn't apply any notable force to his chest. He was utterly bedridden, as his heart rate stressed at his attempts. "Esde..."

"I... Can't..."

"Fucking..."

"...Move."

His heart rate increased, when he discovered that he couldn't speak properly. His vocal cords hadn't been used for one month, and his legs were worse off as he wasn't sure that he still had them. Calming down drastically when his eyes spotted them at the end of the bed, not only that but Tatsumi's body felt utterly awful as his entire body was riddled with minor sensations of pain at irregular intervals.

Tatsumi's mind grew afraid as he recalled the ill-fated but victorious fight with the Death Tagool, if it wasn't for Incursio's adaptability and insane durability then he'd surely be dead. His sensation of fear became vastly more apparent, when Tatsumi's memories of his dream began to reestablish themselves in his head. Unlike normal dreams, he could recall every last detail of it without any issue.

"Not like this, I... I can't stay like this!" Tatsumi cried out loudly in distress. Gradually rocking the medical bed, Tatsumi shook it violently side to side in his attempts to free himself from it. Only managing to, as one powerful shockwave consumed the Palace's foundations, tipping it over as Tatsumi groaned in pain at the impact with the floor. Throwing his body unto it's back, Tatsumi huffed at his success whilst trying to spin himself back to his front as the doorway was close.

 _Was that Esdeath? I can't sense her presence?!_ Tatsumi thought, as his mind was clouded enough to cause notable confusion for his sixth sense.

"I... I need Incursio, I can hardly move." Tatsumi affirmed, dragging himself forwards by his dominant hand as the other wasn't responding strongly enough. Partly thankful that his upper body strength was as formidable as it was. Pushing the door outwards, Tatsumi's dull senses immediately warned him of oncoming danger as he'd quickly stop in frantic fear of the unknown threat. "No, no no...! Can't stop, can't stop."

Making it to the Master Bedroom that was in itself large enough to fit a Military platoon, Tatsumi glanced towards the family weapon rack as his own Incursio was the only weapon present on it. It'd be locked firmly into place, as Tatsumi tried to reach it from the floor as his outstretch hand wasn't anywhere near it. Trying again, his arm dropped straight back down to the ground as the shockwave continued throughout the Palace. Causing Tatsumi's senses to reignite his irrational fear and fright, causing him to bolt to the study as it was one of the least suspected rooms that anyone whom wanted him dead would search, planning to hide inside it until the threat ceased.

"Leave me alone, goddammit... Anyone else but me!" Tatsumi groaned in one twisted mixture of pain, agony and stress as he'd be halfway across the bedroom. " _I can't fight back_ , I'm so fucked...!"

Slamming his fist into the bottom of the study's door face, Tatsumi slammed his head against the floor in frustration as he realized that it'd be tightly shut. As it did, of course, contain especially vital and secretive documents. Trying again, Tatsumi bashed frantically against the door to break it as it was now or never. The presence was getting closer and Tatsumi wasn't entirely sure that it'd be after him but if it was, then it'd be here any moment. Two minutes of knocking against the wood to extend that his knuckles were heavily bruised, Tatsumi eventually broke the hinges off and braced himself for impact as it came hurling forwards down unto him.

It's slam into him, seconds later.

Laying face down, Tatsumi muffled his loud scream of pain that arose when the door came into his shoulder as best he could. Slowly regaining the usage of his other arm, Tatsumi knocked the door away from his body by pressing both hands against the floor to shuffle it away as much as he could whilst crawling into the study. Noticing that Esdeath's study had become more decorated, and fitted out for practical usage. Tatsumi used one of the nearby chairs opposite the desk to pull himself up, as his legs became slightly more stable to stand upon and draw power into.

"Ok, Tatsumi... Let's get over this." Encouraging himself with silent hopeful words, Tatsumi lifted his dominant foot to press it unto the ground as he applied more pressure to bring the other unto the ground aswell before keeping himself steady by holding unto the chair's back. Tatsumi wasn't expecting the next surge of explosive power that came, unable to recognize it's origin by his dull confused senses. His loose grip on the chair was lost, and with that.

His balance, causing him to fall backwards back into the fallen door as it's reinforced material caused Tatsumi's back to scream in agony, as he closely followed suit with his own scream. Propelled by his senses and instincts that kept trying to make him flee, Tatsumi tossed himself sideways to resume the attempt at climbing unto the desk. Eventually successful, as Tatsumi pulled himself unto it. Slowly slipping from it, as he throw his entire body unto it to avoid falling off. His hands desperately searched for a letter opener to defend himself with, locating one as he slipped it into his trousers.

"Ok, so far so good... Just gotta, huh?" Noticing one of Esdeath's leftover Dossiers laying on the table, Tatsumi took ahold of it as he pulled the string away that kept it sealed. He immediately discovered the date on the first most recent additional to the set of papers, as his eyes widened and his body shook violently from the news.

He had been comatose, inactive for one whole month?!

Tatsumi's mind raced frantically.

Whilst that surely explained his body's awful condition, what on earth happened...?! He momentarily forgot about the approaching presence, as he kept reading away as every line written caused Tatsumi's stomach to fill with sensations of disgust that made him want to vomit. Each piece of paper contained detailed written reports of everyone that Esdeath had put to death or imprisoned in the last month. Attached with photographs of their executions, and the torture that she had put them through.

It was horrific beyond words, Tatsumi didn't know what was more worse between the equally disturbing contest of the fact that he knew every single name in that dossier or that every single one of the people that had been massacred were individuals that Tatsumi wanted to keep alive. Even if they were members of the Empire, every life taken had been innocent of their supposed crimes. Their service to the Empire and it's subjects rewarded through long drawn out executions, psychological torment and the loss of every single thing they loved.

 _Exactly as Honest intended._

Tatsumi desired to leave behind morally just politicians, if such existed in the Empire, to inherit the duty of quelling flames that he'd cause in the Empire and bring about stability for the people that lived in the Capital. When Honest was dead, then he could rest at ease.

But that wouldn't arise, not anymore. Anyone that could've worked for the betterment of the Empire was dead or hiding away, and not only that... Esdeath and Honest had combined their forces to kidnap, torture and brutalize the families, children included that they had left behind. As much as he didn't want to, Tatsumi kept reading further as information about the newly reformed Three Beasts unit was revealed to him, that alone caused him to shake in unimaginable anger.

They were back, different people but they wore the same monstrous faces of Bulat's killers... He hated them, loathed them as his stomach finally gave out, causing Tatsumi to throw up the food that he had previously been fed by Esdeath earlier in the day unto the floor below.

Coughing violently, hurting his chest as his body shook from the heightened angry emotions, wiping his month.

Tatsumi kept reading onwards, as his grip clenched unto the binders of the documents.

The dossier's contents included the report written by Abduin, one of the beasts, about the Path of Peace's surrender and subjugation to and by the Empire, as Tatsumi's anger continued to rise violently as he knew that they'd soon be nothing to stop the Revolutionary Army from it's total collapse as they were cut from every ally they once had. They're fates sealed.

Eventually, slowly but surely Esdeath would hunt down and kill Akame, Leone and the rest of his loved ones. If she didn't torture them to death, first. Completely obsessed with taking every last piece of his love for herself but that love was gradually dying as he continued to read. His grand plan to reform the Empire was ruined, Tatsumi thought.

Had he willingly thrown himself into Esdeath's waiting arms, for... _Nothing?_

His sacrifice to her whims, reduced to actual treason against his friends? He didn't want this, he couldn't _stand_ this. That thought alone broke Tatsumi, it was all over. Because of his injuries, Esdeath had been allowed to act unrestrained, to destroy every last chance for a better future that Tatsumi had for her own selfish ends. He had failed everyone, and he knew it. They had counted on him from the afterlife and in his dreams, but that wasn't enough to drive him to victory. He had been so distracted with Makoto's presence, that he wasn't able to focus on his mission.

That should've been his priority. Not playing with some child from the dark future, his future was dark enough as it is! It was a future that _shouldn't exist_ and Tatsumi vowed to prevent that.

He knew what to do, if he couldn't stop Esdeath from causing chaos and suffering because of his weakness to act against her then he'd simply destroy the source of the problem at it's head when she'd least expect it.

He could see it now, perfectly clear and within' sight.

General Esdeath _**had**_ to die, by his hand. He'd drive his broadsword sword through the beating heart that loved him so much as she slept, and watch her bleed out. No, that wasn't enough for him, it wasn't enough to satisfy his need for vengeance. Esdeath needed to pay, dearly. She had tried to change him, trying to subtly sway him into her arms. Tried to cause him to genuinely give up on his friends, and to add insult to injury.

It almost fucking worked, too! Tatsumi drew one hard breath, as his hands dropped the dossier unto the floor by the puddle of vomit. His empty jaded orbs finally noticed Esdeath standing away from him, in the study. Opposite him. She recognized the document, so she knew exactly what Tatsumi had read about. But, she was simply staring at him. As if she was unsure that he'd actually there, she drew closer but Tatsumi stepped back as much as he could.

Noticing this, Esdeath's facial expression became shocked at his instinctive rejection. Clearly deeply hurt by it. "...Tatsumi, you're standing up."

"How are you..." Continuing with her line of speech, Tatsumi instantly cut her off as his words were filled quite notably with disgust, venom and very apparent hatred. His eyes were practically burning as his body language was of defiance. His posture upright, tense and firm. "It's simple, hatred is one hell of an painkiller."

"And it especially helps when the one person that you revile the most, is within' inches of you." Tatsumi spat.

Esdeath's immediately heart sank, she had been so excited at Tatsumi's awakening that she couldn't control herself from heading to him with haste but now she'd be faced only with rejection. Rejection that she hadn't experienced since they were on opposite sides of the war and Tatsumi's posture clearly invoked the hostility that he displayed back then. Had the contents of the dossier twisted Tatsumi's heart so much, that he couldn't bare to look at her?

Now Esdeath was facing her own internal struggle, as she reflected on her actions in the recent month that were dedicated towards ridding the Empire of the Revolutionary Army so that she could live her life with Tatsumi and their child in relative peace until she had the desire to fight again. Unable to accept that their relationship was gone, she threw aside the table and stepped closer to him. Her arms extended, as her facial features were unsteady on the verge of tears.

"Tatsumi, I love you." In response to this, Tatsumi moved backwards so much that he hit against the tall booksheft behind the table in his desire to avoid her touch. "Get the hell away from me, Esdeath." He seethed.

"Say that you love me." She demanded, kicking one of the nearby chairs away as she came even closer. Tatsumi took one of the books on the shelf and threw it as hard he could directly at her. She squatted it away, but it's intent was clearly known to Esdeath.

Tatsumi loathed her.

"Admit that you love me, Tatsumi...! I want your words, now!" She pleaded desperately, no longer demanding it. As her arms were still wide for him, but Tatsumi keeping his back to the bookshelf darkly smiled. "I _never_ loved you."

"You see, I lied... Every word, every confession I made to you and every single damn kiss." Tatsumi continued, hiding his face with his hair as he looked downwards. "Violence and misery, that's all you are and that's all you'll ever will be. My life is ruined, because of you and your deranged sense of love. My closest friends want me dead, and I find myself wanting that too. I fall into a coma, and you rush to break the minds of anyone that opposes you but not before you callously sell their loved ones into perfectly legal slavery."

"Any chance that you even had to make me fall for you, is gone and destroyed."

"Because, Esdeath. How can you expect me to fall in love with you, when you utterly refuse to acknowledge my own feelings?! I fell for Mine, because she respected my wishes and encouraged my dreams... You've only crushed them, thus far!" Tatsumi shouted in rage, his heightened state allowed him to stand without any support from the bookshelf but unfortunately caused him to forget about important aspects of his life, than simply dealing with Esdeath.

Esdeath cut him off by darting to him, in her own enraged state as Tatsumi revealed his trump card.

 _The Letter Opener._

"Not so fast, Ice Queen." He hissed.

Surprisingly being quicker at the draw, Tatsumi took the sharp instrument and placed it inches away from his own throat. The flames inside his heart melted the Ice of doubt, allowing him to press the knife closer to his neck, to let blood trail across the steel of it's blade. Causing Esdeath to halt instantly, she wasn't confident that she could stop him as she had just been emotionally ruined by Tatsumi's harsh words. In her own heightened state of emotion, Esdeath momentarily forgot about Mahapadma and it's extreme usefulness as she could only visualize Tatsumi and the knife currently, glaring at them both.

She could feel wetness on the bottoms of her eyes, as she clenched her fists tightly. Practically seething herself.

"Don't you even dare, Tatsumi." Esdeath replied, she knew what Tatsumi's suicide would cause. Not only would she lose her beloved, but Tatsumi's action would erase her son entirely from every facet of reality. Not that Tatsumi knew that, at the moment. In his defense, Makoto had never taken the time to show Tatsumi of the implications of using Chronos Key, since Tatsumi figured using a Teigu to travel to the past prevented causality to do it's work.

"Drop the knife, and walk over here... _Now._ "

Tatsumi simply laughed, manically at her words. " _Hahahaha...!_ As if I'd take orders from you, Esdeath. Suicide is probably the only and ultimately the best option for me, as you'd kill me somewhere down the line."

"Tatsumi, reconsider your options carefully..." Esdeath pressed, her words were gentle and sweet but clearly affected by her sorrowful state, only to be cut off by her vengeful mate. "Then what, allow you to smother me again?! No!"

"You've taken _EVERYTHING_ from me, Esdeath!" Tatsumi screamed out, as she noticed the movements of his hand that held the blade. He intended to carve out, his own throat with the blade. Unable, unwilling and absolutely against standing idly by as her lover did this, Esdeath leapt straight at him powerfully.

Too late.

Blood splattered everywhere, as Tatsumi's body fell to the floor in the study.

As elsewhere, so did their sons.

 **Hey, I told you in the previous chapter that it'd be darker from here onwards. Don't glare at me, hey! Also, apologies for missing the deadline abit, I wanted another really long chapter and figured, why not? So here we go, as per usual, I'll be updating the chapter to fix errors in spellings and whatnot until I am satisfied enough with it's quality to move unto the next chapter. Yup, that's right. We're still going on, it isn't over yet.**

 **Especially as a certain somebody on the Discord wants me to write least one hundred chapters of this fic, but we'll see, eh? xD In which case, I had a idea about the OCs, as if this Fic does become a long-running fic as it is, I plan to "reroll" the OCs of the Fic as in true AGK fashion, some will die and some won't. Rerolling means that I will allow other supporters the chance to add their own OC into the story, without being amongst the first people to have such.**

 **Lastly, don't worry. I know you're supposed that I call myself a Tatsumi x Esdeath shipper but I honestly want the best for them, just hang in there!**

 **Make sure to review what you thought, and like/fav! The next addition will be within' 8/9 days time, as I need to gather feedback. ^^**

 **Ciao!**


	22. Chapter 22 - Drawing Conclusions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **I'll be keeping the chapters roughly 13K from now on, whilst trying to keep a consistent release schedule.**

 **Story Poll is now live, go vote on it...!**

It was midnight in the Capital, as Imperial Military's extensive control over the oppressed populace through Martial Law was very apparent. The Imperial Guard frequently patrolled the empty deserted streets for any suspected lingering members of the Revolutionary Army, often catching human-traffickers and other scum that preyed upon the weak and homeless. The reports of war orphans being taken from the poverty stricken streets had mellowed down drastically, since the curfew was ordered unto the Capital. Seryu Ubiquitous and Fate of the Jaegers often led the Guard herself since the Revolutionaries were clearly opposed to being taken alive, as they knew exactly what awaited them if they suffered capture. The malicious Great General had made it abundantly clear that any captives were to be thrown into the Torture Chambers to await interrogation, by either herself or the Torture Masters under her command.

Night Raid hadn't once struck against the Imperial Leadership for many weeks, Esdeath's near-constant presence in the Palace had proven quite the deterrent against striking the imposing jewel of the Capital. And if anything as soon as Night Raid heard about the reformed Three Beasts Unit, they immediately withdrew any plans that they had against their targets in the Palace, as their spy contact was rooted deeply within' Esdeath's legions and his intelligence provided hadn't failed them since.

Ever since the harrowing incident that forced them to both lose and abandon Tatsumi to the Empire at his last stand in the canyon, which eventually led to his unexpected defection to Esdeath, Akame and Leone always ensured that they didn't accidentally take unnecessary risks by trusting information that they both believed to be misleading or falsified by the enemy that they fought against. They'd be equally determined and hardened by Tatsumi's loss, that they were only pushed to recruit their newest member into Night Raid by Najenda's own recommendation shortly before she was cut down and killed at the blade of Tatsumi's lover, and her former comrade General Esdeath in the midst of the battle Night Raid fought against the Empire. It was no surprise that Najenda's death rocked Tatsumi to his core, Akame herself largely blamed Tatsumi's defection on his lack of faith in the Revolutionary Army after Najenda was slain.

She herself had lost alot of her faith in the Army too, so she knew exactly what he was feeling.

Night Raid was down to two members, as they didn't consider the newcomer to be apart of the team just yet.

Thankfully, Najenda hadn't suffered much as Esdeath paid no special effort in sparing her for torture practices as she simply cut her foe down with three clean strikes to the chest, suddenly in the midst of battle. Susanoo had perished one month earlier so he was helpless to save his Master from her demise as the biological Teigu was already dead. It was strongly apparent to Akame that Esdeath sought to quickly finish the members of Night Raid that she and the rest of the Empire had marked for death, without any nonsense. Completely lacking any desire to see them endure and survive, very uncharacteristic of her usual traits in which she'd normally leave survivors to rebuilt their strength in which to only conquer them once more.

As usual, Tatsumi was the sole exclusion to that rule as Wave and Kurome were ordered to hunt him down in pairs, by the Ice Queen herself.

Eventually succeeding in capturing him, before Esdeath's own men could finish the job of executing him in clear defiance of her orders and plans for him. As an special reward for bringing Tatsumi into her care, Wave was allowed to independently pursuit the fabled spring of wellness in the Mountains, unknowingly extremely close to Tatsumi's own village. His reason for this, was awfully simple, despite Esdeath's personal confusion about this.

He wanted to mend Kurome's injuries from her assassination attempt by Chelsea, and her rampant addiction to the drug that the Empire enchained her to it's service with. Due to the extensive internal wounds that kept her hindered, and the addictive traits of the performance booster that kept her away from death's hold. He wasn't stupid, he knew that both of those issues caused both physically and mentally for her.

Kurome was terrified of being deemed useless by her strict Commander as she knew that she'd be separated away from Wave, and Wave refused to let that pass.

It took blood, sweat and plenty of hidden tears but Wave of the Jaegers...

 _Succeeded with flying colours._

It took several weeks, and plenty of solo searching but Wave was able to locate the hot-spring in the mountainous regions and preserve it's location, so that when Kurome used it herself later. She found miraculously herself free from the ailments of her horrible past, and finally opened herself up to the future. Oddly enough, she eventually became less resentful of her sister and instead desired to see her again, for purely innocent reasons. Even if they were sworn enemies, at opposite ends of the war and conflict.

The location of the Hot-spring was recorded in the Imperial Codex, to preserve so that it's leadership may thrive on it's revitalizing properties. Esdeath herself had no desire to use it as she was satisfied with her own level of power as it was, but instead appeared interested in using it on Tatsumi to see if he'd reap any benefits from it. Hoping to push him to the greatest of heights, so that she may bring him back down at his best. Her desire to see Tatsumi become an individual capable to easily beating a Imperial General was genuine and pure, as Wave knew so he had no issue with sharing the information that he acquired.

Even if he deeply pitied Tatsumi for being chosen as he was.

At the Capital, five hooded figures rushed through the slums of the city. Crossing narrow pathway, dashing between houses and avoiding passing Imperial Guard patrols as four of them were currently centered around the first hooded figure in the group. They were shadows in the dark of the night, moving without pause as they protected the middle hooded man without reservation nor thought to their own lives. Soon, they met at the target location. A simple, rotting house that had been damaged in Budo's fight with the Ice Queen. It's exterior destroyed, and cracked. Rain droplets dripped unto the inside of the ruined household as puddles were spread across the floor. The sole notable feature of this specific house was the doorway to the cellar.

Surprisingly left intact, despite the damage in the original structure. That was, as expected, because it had been rebuilt. Night Raid had used the intact cellar as one of their safe havens and since the house was already demolished and waiting repairs. It served as a perfect cover for their activities and the cellar was large enough to fit ten people in it, as it originally served as a wine cellar for it's deceased owner whom had been crushed by one of Esdeath's astray spears of Ice during the battle for the Great General's title.

"This way, My Lord." One of the hooded attendants whispered, spiriting his Lord to the front from the crowd. "We remain undetected, correct?" The Lord of the Path of Peace, asked from his hood.

"Yes, My Lord. We haven't been followed as far as we're aware, we'll have two of our number stay outside to act as security incase we've been trailed." The same attendant informed, as he swiftly took the chance to offer himself up. "I volunteer to act as apart of the watch, you've always been kind to me and I'd like nothing but to repay that same kindness."

"May your future shine bright, young man. You won't be waiting for long, I assure you." The Lord smile warmly, nodding at his steadfast loyal attendant as one of the hooded bodyguards accompanied him as the rest loyally followed behind the Lord into the deeper cellar that served as Night Raid's current base of operations in the Capital. "T-Take as long as you like, don't mind us!"

"You're here, way sooner than Leone expected." Akame drew Murasame from it's sheath, as she walked from the shadows to the crowd and accordingly pointed her Teigu straight at the Lord, whom stood infront of his bodyguards. The guards in question, swiftly drew their blades and stepped forwards. They're loyalty unmatched, even if they were well aware that they were outmatched when it came to combative skill and power. "Not so fast, Assassin...!

"If you think you'll be killing the Lord, then you'll need to cut us down first."

Murasame's poison was widely known, and it's destructive properties equally feared. Then, the Lord merely stepped forwards and warded away the sharp blades that his bodyguards held tightly. Bravely staring Akame down, as she soon appeared less hostile than before. "There is no need for violence, we were brought here to discuss matters..."

"...Not to needlessly produce more horrible violence, was that so?" To this, Akame nodded and placed Murasame back into it's sheath. Replying to him, she simply asked one question. "Were you followed here?"

"No, we weren't and even if we were, we've got two lookouts currently ensuring that we'll be undisturbed." One of the guards replied back, with notable gusto. Akame sighed, as she blankly looked them over. "If they were anything like you, they don't do any good."

"Now, now... There's no need..." The Lord interjected, as Akame cut him off and moved deeper into the cellar through it's corridor but not before one of the Guard's took a wall-mounted torch from it's mount to keep them aware of their dark surroundings with illumination. "Let's continue, hurry."

The cellar was very damp, horribly cold and awfully dirty. Which was natural as it's original owner had been killed, and Night Raid had no time to polish one of their safe houses that they could be forced to abandon within' moments up to clean livable condition. It was suitable, but it wasn't homely as Leone nor Akame would like.

"Through this doorway, come on." Akame gestured to the only door at the end of the corridor as the two Guards attempted to move inside first, only for the Night Raid member to raise her hand upwards. "Just the Lord, you two stay here."

"Are you crazy, girly?! You could have twenty Revolutionary Army cannon fodder hidin' in there, waiting to gut our Lord and you just expect us to let you have him?" The left Guard laughed at his own rant, as his laughter echoed in the corridor. Akame kept her look of disapproval and disinterest, as she sighed to push the doorway open to reveal, one simple set of chairs and one table. It was clear that she just wanted to talk in private with the Lord, and had no ill intentions for him, as she would've already acted on them provided she wanted that. "Don't act so rashly, she means no harm to me nor you."

"I will do as she wishes, I placed my faith in her as I have done in the past... I will be well." Back when Tatsumi previously met the Lord in his days in Night Raid, Tatsumi noted that he'd be one very wise and magnetic Leader for his people, but massively trusting to insane degrees. Too trusting that somebody like Bolic were able to infiltrate and run amok in the religious organization before Night Raid could get to him. Akame thought this aswell, but she needed that trustful side for now.

"...Ack, as you say." They both bowed in respect to his seemingly wise words, and then stood beside the doorway with their backs turned to it. Keeping watch, as they folded their arms in sync. The Lord were the first to move into the room, as it was sparsely decorated. The cellar's other additional rooms were being used as bedrooms, so this one was clearly the office. Akame followed him, as she sat down on the opposite of the desk with her back to the wall.

"The Path of Peace has surrendered to the Empire, you've been spared but you now serve Esdeath." Akame instantly cut to the chase, as she kept her eyes locked with the Lord, whom removed his hood to demonstrate and show the clear emotional pain in his facial expression. "Indeed, so we have. We used to number in the thousands, but the ones that joined the Revolutionary Army haven't returned and then we grew thin..."

"Esdeath caused that, we saw it all. The battle that took Najenda, also took alot of your followers in turn." Akame replied, sympathy in her voice but only partly notable. "We have both lost loved ones... But, please know this."

"We didn't side with the Empire, to stab the Revolutionary Army in the back." The Lord wanted to press this, he wasn't usually forceful with his words. Very passive, but now he wanted to make clear to Akame that he relish their current official opposition. "There were... A vast set of unique circumstances that set us on the pathway that we embark on now."

"And that is? I understand enough that you wanted to keep your followers safe, but Esdeath must be stopped." Akame pressed this as well, as above everything else, she wanted to free the Empire's people from the Ice Queen's oppression. As she now controlled every aspect of the Empire, Akame wanted to kill the Great General before any more lives were lost, and more importantly... Before Tatsumi's mind was fully swayed by her influence, as she knew that he could still be saved.

Somehow, she'd break through to him and then they'd take down Esdeath together as they were meant to.

"No, that isn't it... Of course, I wanted to spare my people but we'd have never willingly thrown down our swords to evil, if it were just that." Clear hints of lingering fear were present in the Lord's already shaky voice, allowing Akame to gradually understand the magnitude of the situation in full. "The Great General has a child, a child of her own."

"As we've heard, Lord. But, he's just a child..." Akame was greatly confused by this, whilst she never imagined Esdeath to be the type to adopt children whilst serving in the Military as she had cut down plenty of children that tried foolishly to attack her and overlooked the activities of her soldiers brutality when it came to them in the aftermath of her victories. Not only that, she had figured that Esdeath was only interested in siring children with Tatsumi, unaware of the fact that Akame was one hundred percent correct in her original thoughts. "No, you couldn't be anymore wrong in your words, little girl."

"If General Esdeath is the Mother of the Apocalypse, then he is the Apocalypse itself, Akame." The Lord's seriousness wasn't enough to convince Akame of his words, at first, but she allowed him to continue regardless. "I knew this, as soon as my mind interlinked with his own to search the boy's future. My unknowing mind was filled with horrible black visions, our world in flames and the future ruined."

"Continue, go on." Akame added, as she watched the candles on the table as she studied his words in her head, trying to make sense of them with the limited knowledge that she was given. "What was worse... The boy's eyes were the same as your comrade's own, kind but sad."

"Tatsumi..." Akame quietly seethed, as her resting hand clenched tightly in frustration. "Yes, that poor misguided boy..."

"It may be impossible, considering their age but they have the same sense of determination in them." The Lord sorrowfully reflected, as he previously recalled hoping that Tatsumi and Mine would've ended up together as they were more equally inclined to the other in their love, not unbalanced and destructive as the boy's current partner in that regard. "Aside from that, from every strain of hair and his outfit... I saw nothing but the boy's hateful guardian."

"So, you want Night Raid to take care of this boy, then?" Akame asked, somewhat curious if that were the case. But, surprisingly so. The Lord shook his head in refusal. "No, I couldn't condone the killing of children, even if this boy is destined to become the same as his Mother."

"One Esdeath is enough, I won't allow another one to arise." Akame defiantly stated with unbreakable determination in her words, as she stood upwards to conclude the meeting as the Lord followed suit. His smile, present but filled with sadness. "It's my great regret that we cannot part as allies, Akame. The Empire holds the strings of our organization, and we are powerless to break ourselves free."

"Don't worry, our informant inside the Capital is already providing enough information to avoid the Empire's gaze, even if they have Spectator."

The Lord huffed in shared displeasure, as he kindly patted Akame on the shoulder for encouragement. "I cannot thank you enough, child. Our forces are spread thin, and we've done our best. The rest is up to you, and the Revolutionary Army."

"We've lose more Teigu to the Empire everyday, and the ones that we've managed to retain haven't found capable users yet." Akame truthfully noted, as she wasn't trying to ignore the bleakness of the situation. "With Najenda gone, Night Raid isn't able to communicate with the top brass of the Revolutionary Army without exchanging letters with coded messages. Any meaningful targets for Assassination are securely hiding away in the Palace, and the curfew makes nightly operation practically impossible unless we're careful."

The Lord nodded at that statement, as they had almost been caught by Imperial Patrols, several times in merely trying to reach their destination. "Yes, that is true. The Path of Peace took a large risk in meeting with you, but I felt that we owed that you."

"You were wise, because you did owe us but that's besides the point."Akame lightly prodded them verbally, as she reopened the doorway to the corridor by pulling it at the handle. "The Revolutionary Army doesn't expect you to aid them, but we ask that you stand with us when the time is ripe."

He nodded.

"Of course, you have my solemn word on that. While we cannot risk anymore antics like this, as the Empire falls into ruin, we will lend you our strength." Truthful in his words, but secretly doubting that they'd come true considering the unique circumstances and the terrifying power that Esdeath held in her grasp, and the power of the boy that she had mysterious come across. The Lord however held unto hope, in that someday justice would return to the Capital and the Empire's people would be freed from it's years of oppressive rule at the Imperial Leadership's hands.

"Good, then we'll conclude the meeting as it were." Akame closed the door behind them both but not before swiping her sheathed Murasame horizontally, to blow the candles out. The guards followed them, now completely silent as they allowed the two to continue speaking away as they walked. Staying a few dozen centimeters behind the Lord whilst staying vigilant for intruders from the surface. "I pray that we meet again, in less stressful circumstances than this."

"Yup, me too." Akame nodded, as her trained sixth senses began to annoy her slightly by helpfully informing her of Leone's loud snoring in the room that she had chosen as her bedroom. Happily sleeping away inside it, as Akame wanted to sleep in her own but was forced to stay up for guard duty tonight. She'd sleep in the morning when they swapped shifts.

"Me too." She repeated quietly, as they left for the surface to head back home.

 _"Me too."_

Mere seconds.

Mere seconds had passed since Tatsumi's body hit hard against the study's floor below, as his own blood began to pool at his laying head. His skull had made hard impact with the carpeted ground, as he received a dazed concussion. Temporarily drifting into unconscious for three seconds. His flickering tear filled eyes, unfocused and ever-so partly afraid, very afraid. Afraid that he hadn't succeeded in his selfish attempt to rid Esdeath of the one thing that she loved the most in the world, having lost all viable hope in his mission's chance for success, due to her insanity driven actions.

His suicide attempt had unexpectedly failed in the end, which wasn't Tatsumi's own fault as he hadn't messed up on purpose but regardless, death by blood loss was still one very realistic reality as Tatsumi felt himself slowly slip away as the seconds continued to pass. He had only lightly sliced one of his throat's arteries, enough to rupture it but not able to sever it completely as intended.

For he'd already be long dead, if so.

This was primarily due to Tatsumi's unfocused enraged state of mind, and his weakened body's fragile condition upon it's awakening into the world. He had failed miserably, and if he didn't act immediately then they'd be no second chance to end it. Apart of Tatsumi didn't want to die, and that part wanted to desperately fought against the parts of his mind that did. The instinctual desire for survival, being joined by the parts of him that were swayed by her love. The parts that genuinely wanted to experience the love that Esdeath gave, without reservation.

Meanwhile, during this awful sickening moment, Esdeath stood directly above Tatsumi's fallen body in acute shaken horror as his warm blood began to paint the white tips of her boots with red as she looked on. Without one second of delay, Esdeath instantly fell to her knees straight to her collapsed mate and pulled her Tatsumi upwards from behind his neck. Resting his head on her soft knee, as it'd soon become splattered with his flowing blood.

"No, no... Tatsumi, NO!" Baring her teeth in distress and panic, Esdeath's hand made straight for Tatsumi's neck to freeze the escaping blood vessels solid. If she were able to seal the wound up, then he'd live else if not then he'd be die. Alarm bells continue to ring in her ears as her senses felt Tatsumi's heartbeat becoming gradually more slow and strained not as quick as they were before and nowhere as near fast as Esdeath's heart, she wouldn't allow this sham to proceed any further. "Move, and I'll make the pain ten times as _worse_ as it'll be..."

"You don't deserve to die like this, not at your own hand...!" Esdeath hissed strongly at him, as her frustration with Tatsumi was reinforced by his foolish insane action.

As the powerful hand came down, so did Tatsumi's own suddenly to his chest. A hand that held the accused letter opener from before. In her frantic maddened rush to save him from death, she hadn't noticed that Tatsumi had managed to take back the bloodied weaponized tool from the nearby floor when he dropped it in pain prior. From the corner of her shaking eyes, she spotted the initial deadly movements of his determined focused arm as it prepared to pierce his weakly beating heart.

"See... You..." As Tatsumi's throat had been partly cut, they were one horrible gurgle of pain and speech. "In _hell._ "

"I already _told_ you, don't you even DARE...!" At her wits end, Esdeath growled fiercely with blindingly fast speed, shaking violently as she took ahold of the same hand that held the blade with her own, completely wrapping and swallowing it up with her larger feminine grasp but not before breaking several of the partly healed bones in Tatsumi's palm as she strongly compressed unto it. Causing her love to scream in horrible agony, dropping the letter opener as it fell from his formerly tight grip. The letter opener itself would be destroyed seconds later by Esdeath's Ice causing it to shatter into tiny splinters.

" _...Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!_ "

"I hate that you're making me do this, Tatsumi...! But, this is for your own good, it'll be over soon!" Esdeath shouted enraged with bared teeth, causing Tatsumi's body to further spasm in acute instinctual fear of her unrestrained fury. His trained senses were hastily recoiling at her dominant driven ferociousness, as they begged Tatsumi to behave submissively to avoid further pain. His mind had blocked out, any and all of his instincts in the prior circumstance as explosive injustice fueled rage utterly overrode the training that Esdeath had subtly implanted into Tatsumi's mind.

"Stop...! Get away from me! Let me, let me..." Throwing his head around in distress and panic, wildly swinging it left and right, Esdeath steadied him by lifting her knee upwards quickly to knock him back into position on her lap. Forcing him to stay still, whilst also trying to comfort him as best she could. Desperately desiring to express her love for him midst the anger that she felt, and have him see her love regardless of her forceful actions at the time.

"Die, please!"

"Shut up, shut up."

Not letting up in her quick momentum, Esdeath slammed her palm into the crook of Tatsumi's neck hard enough to push him into her soft thighs. Applying enough chilling cold pressure from them to block the blood vessel's from escaping by freezing them solid, as Tatsumi released more awful agonized screams of pain that continued for fifteen long seconds without pause. Esdeath paid no mind to any of them, as she kept her hand on his throat much longer than required. Partly due to her rage against him, for causing such monstrous unrelenting pain in her heart and also due to her own insecurity about the low chances of his survival, she had already sank too deeply in love with this foolish boy enough to lose him.

" _Aaaaa-Aaaaaaaaah! Aaaaah!_ "

"If you think I'd simply allow you to die, then you're mistaken. Very damn mistaken." Esdeath's tone became slightly more calm and composed, as she kept close watch over him. Not letting him go, for anything at all. Clinging tightly to Tatsumi, as he continued to wheeze and yell in pain.

Even the afterlife wouldn't nor couldn't keep them apart, she'd hunt him down to the ends of the earth and the next world beyond that, for that matter.

The thought of her Tatsumi's death was absolutely unacceptable to believe, utterly unthinkable to Esdeath's already insecure mind. Especially like this, simple plain suicide, devoid of any final glory or even bittersweet defeat. If he were to die, then it'd be at her hands and hers alone. The horrible painful heartache continued to spread deeper in her chest as she watched him writhe in the pain that coursed through him, she imagined her life without Tatsumi in it.

So depressingly hollow and absurdly lonely as she repeatedly replayed the scene that just unfolded before her eyes in her head. How could this happen, this shouldn't have happened. She had already learnt of Tatsumi's fated demise in the future from her son, and she had vowed to prevent such in the present and beyond. His life was hers and hers alone, she wouldn't see it end anytime soon. Not without one final fight first.

But, at this sudden unexpected moment in time, she had almost lost him completely to his own actions.

His own foolish stupid actions.

"Listen closely, very closely."

"If you ever repeat that, Tatsumi. I won't save you from yourself, mark my words. I'll just watch you bleed out." Esdeath lied, as evidence by her previous actions as she held him lovingly in her kind arms. Letting him rest on her blood soaked thigh, as the coldness assisted in closing the wound on his neck with time. They were both currently partly covered in Tatsumi's blood, not that neither of them had the time to mind it, not that Esdeath would've as she already commented on the delicious taste of Tatsumi's blood many times in the past prior. But then, Esdeath noticed Tatsumi's eyes drifting away into unconsciousness by the considerable amount of blood lost, suddenly causing the Ice Queen to relapse back into the days that she had spent alone in isolation because of her lover's coma, one entire month devoid of Tatsumi's sweet gentle tones, and especially his tender touch.

Unable to allow this to transpire as she had just only got him back...

"No, I won't let you slip away again, Tatsumi...! I command that you stay awake, _stay awake_...!" Glaring at his fading sorrowful expression, Esdeath's sad bittersweet frown grew incredibly dangerous as she acted on her base instincts that called her into action to once more save her mate.

Esdeath threw her head forwards straight into his own, to headbutt Tatsumi hard against the skull as despite causing him great pain. Exemplified by his yell, she managed to prevent him from drifting away. Slapping him seconds later to bring him back around, as then she resumed gently patting the same cheek with her hand gently. Trying to alternate between loving and harsh, to keep him aware of his surroundings as much as possible. "Keep those beautiful green eyes of yours open, or I will do so for you... I'll keep them pried open with my tools, if need be."

"That's it, Tatsumi. That's it." She kept going on.

"Just be good for me, Tatsumi. A good boy, no more petty resistance, just give me what I want." Cradling him in her possessive arms, lifting his body upwards from her thigh, Esdeath compressed his body against her own strongly. Desperately needing to feel his heartbeats more intimately, for comfort as the heartbreak inside her own chest hadn't quelled. "There, there. That's it, that's my good little Tatsumi."

Esdeath cooed to him affectionately, as she drew circles around on his back with her fingers. Trying to calm him as if he were a wild Danger Beast, but also trying to break his resistance down through gradual manipulation of his emotional need for intimacy and physical affection that she had been tormented by for the past month. She knew by now that Tatsumi would be subject to the same desire for intimacy, that she had been stricken with from the very start of their relationship together.

Five minutes passed in silence inside the study, Esdeath keeping her unrelenting cold gaze fixated to Tatsumi's limb body as she needed to ensure that he wouldn't be able to hide any pre-existing injuries that were going to cause her to almost lose him again, she wouldn't allow that. Even if he'd protest, resist or try to escape from her love. Nothing on the earth would allow her to lose him, she had promised him protection and she always made good on her promises. And that included protecting him from himself.

That was merely the surface of Esdeath's mad love and devotion for him.

Unaware to Tatsumi, who had already lost the ability to speak intelligent words at this point from his extensive physical and mental exhaustion. At this point, simply staring blankly off into space, as his eyes conveyed no concernable emotion. Esdeath had seen straight through most of his previous rants falsehoods, when he held the knife at his throat. She knew some of his words were the undeniable truth, but in that same vein, she also knew that apart of Tatsumi held genuine love for her. His anger stemmed from the fact that he had realized that too. That's all she needed to keep her spirits up, as long as that tiny spark remained inside him, she could nurture it and let it expand. She had to be careful, very careful. Tatsumi's behavior from this point onwards would be unpredictable, could she trust him alone again?

Would Tatsumi be tempted to perform foolish dangerous act, again and again if he wasn't supervised by her?

When Esdeath was satisfied with her mate's current state of health, and his chances for recovery. She strongly lifted them both from the ground, carrying Tatsumi by his crimson painted neck and dangling legs, with each of her hands. Now that his situation was resolved, she needed to check on her little boy's condition. Knowing that they were linked together as Father and Son. Overtaken by motherly concern, she powerfully stormed through the doorway, while being careful not to knock Tatsumi's head on the doorway itself as she made immediately for the Imperial library.

"Stay put, Mommy's coming for you now." Esdeath quietly said, speaking to herself more than anything as she strode into the corridor from her entrance hall's double doors.

She could feel her child's faint presence in the air through her sixth sense, but she'd be overtaken by the sensation of pure unrelenting willpower that came from his location. Walking across the ruined corridors, that she had unintentionally destroyed in her maddened leap across them. Esdeath strongly pressed Tatsumi's head further against her clothed large breast, trying to fight off the underlying awful dread that she held for him in her heart. Hushing Tatsumi's pained groans, whilst ensuring that he'd remain conscious and awake.

Anyone that were unfortunate enough to pass them could feel the terrifying aura that radiated from Esdeath's body, everyone aside Tatsumi whom were perfectly safe in the eye of the storm. She had somewhat rid herself of the rage that were directed towards him. Keeping a steady pace, Esdeath arrived at the Imperial Library in record time when she did. For now, her plan was to find her son and assess the situation before planning her next careful move. Complications were bound to arise, and her workload were busy enough as it is. She would need to postpone alot of her lesser important duties to make time for Tatsumi as she knew that she couldn't leave him alone, it'd be practically guaranteed that isolation would cause bitterness to form and then everything would repeat as it had done prior.

The delicate balance of duty and love, weighing heavily on Esdeath's mind.

As her hands were full, Esdeath wasn't able to greet the members of her forces that passed her by, nor did she try to. Acknowledging their leader with one firm nod to the head, closely accompanied by a salute. She kept her brisk pace, she noticed Lieutenant Rogers passing her by heading to the Imperial Canteen and exchanged one very brief foreboding smile with the uniformed blonde as she had plans for him. Whilst she knew that he lacked a Teigu, she intended to locate a suitable one for him in the Teigu Gallery. Her plans for him were that he would be trained to become Tatsumi's rival, as she knew that he would greatly benefit from having somebody that were close to him in strength.

But distant emotionally, unable to connect with his rival as friends.

Rogers would be built up, then broken back down. She wanted to use the boy as the catalyst for Tatsumi's full conversion into her ideology, but as the Lieutenant currently served in her legions. Provided they didn't actually come to loathe Tatsumi, he would be protected as she extended benefits to her loyal troops and had no desire to use Rogers as bait for the whole of his Military Career in her service. Usually, she would've used Wave as a suitable candidate for this but she noted that Wave and Tatsumi had already become close enough friends that forming a aggressive rivalry was borderline impossible.

Even for her.

As she moved onwards, she felt one vastly familiar but equally powerful presence lurking around the corner as she honed unto it. "Wave, report." Esdeath emptily stated, as she caught him off guard causing the Jaeger to spin backwards to face her. Grand Chariot currently activated, as it was dispelled and vanished in the resulting smoke to rest in his left hand. His alert wary expression instantly became one of great concern, sadness and pain as he saw the blood splattered across the two of them. Particularly Tatsumi's wound on his throat, exposed as it was.

"Commander...! I believe we're under attack, is it true? I've secured this floor, as I've found nobody hiding away." Wave saluted, as he kept vigilant as Esdeath merely sighed in reflection of the day's awful events that caused her so much sadness. She'd endure, as always, and resolved to not let it affect her enough her others to notice the signs. "No, we're not. At ease, Wave."

"Yes, Commander. If you don't mind me saying, you and Tatsumi have looked better. Tatsumi especially." Usually, Esdeath would've struck Wave for stepping out of line in his remarks but she instead placed Tatsumi into his arms upon approaching him closer. Letting her lover down gently, as she awaited for Wave to extend his arms as he noticed her intent. "I'll forgive that brave snide remark, just this time. He is partly conscious, you'll ensure that he stays that way and bandage him up. Inform the Palace's physicians of his condition, have him checked then brought to my bedchambers."

"Aah... Ooh, ok. You got it."

Unaware that he'd be receiving orders today, Wave was otherwise happy at the news of Tatsumi's awake state as the sullen expression on his friend's face didn't immediately inform him of the fact. With confirmation, he held Tatsumi tightly then nodded. "Yes, Commander! I'll be done by two hours time, my word is yours."

"One hour, Wave. One hour." Esdeath eerily affirmed, her patience thin and gradually fading as she began to move past him. Leaving Tatsumi in his care, as she dangerously glanced back, causing Wave's body to freeze up without fail nor usage of her Teigu. "And if _anything_ whatsoever happens to him in my short absence, then everyone that I've extended protection to, on your behalf will suddenly end up..."

 _"Very, very dead."_ Licking some of the Tatsumi's wet blood from her fingers, Esdeath's cold ominous eyes hadn't left Wave's shaky ones. Unlike before, he knew that Esdeath's threatening words were solid without any falsehood in it's truth. She had put people to death, for lesser crimes. Wave himself, had alot of friends in the Imperial Navy, and the younger ones saw him as a role model. They both knew that it'd cause him unimaginable pain, if he were indirectly the cause of their deaths.

Wave tried to respond, but Esdeath was already halfway down the corridor. Leaving him in silence, as he quickly recalled the one hour time limit that caused him to mentally yell out in acute nervousness and intense fear.

Finally, at her destination after minutes of brisk steady paces.

Arriving at the library's decorated beautiful doors, Esdeath's hand took ahold of the door knob to pull it from it's hinges. Only using small portions of her power as she didn't want to destroy the entire wall of the Imperial Library, as she was angry enough to do so with relative ease. Considering her careful lax pull, she was surprised that they'd be notable force preventing them from being opened. Sighing heavily, Esdeath merely opted to go with her original plan and pulled harder unto them, causing the doors to crumble into pieces. Revealing the fixtures of Ice being strung directly behind them, answering Esdeath's question about how they could withstand her original attempt.

"Sweetie, speak up... Mommy is here, where are you hiding away?" Esdeath quietly, but clearly spoke to the confines of the Imperial Library. She noticed that every other resident of the library had been frozen solid, to the point of death, and it's walls were covered by crystalline structures. The surfaces behind the sheet of Ice had been pierced by what seemed to be spears of Ice that Esdeath herself often used against her foes. To her eyes, it appeared her son's powers had momentarily gone out of his control. Being released explosively everywhere, it was almost beautiful for her to see. Not only that, as she walked deeper into the expansive library to locate her child, she noticed that one wing of the area had completely been smashed apart without mercy.

Then she noticed it, and her jaw visibly dropped slightly as her aching heart sank further. "Oh no, honey..."

No less than four clearly heavy bookshelves had fallen together into one equally chaotic pile, each of varying large size. Wooden, crafted by some of the greatest woodsmiths in the entire Empire, no less Capital. Their informative contents had been messily strung across the room, littering it untidily. Unable to bare the sight, and knowing exactly whom were trapped underneath the unstable pile. Esdeath lunged towards the first weight, and tossed it straight backwards with one pull of her hand. No effort required on her part, as her motherly instincts were currently in full control of her body as she moved to the second, with the same frantic speed as the first.

"Don't worry, Mommy's here. You'll be alright, hang in there." She strongly flung the second directly infront of her position, breaking apart floorboard and frozen people statues alike without care. Grinding her teeth together as she seethed in rage, greatly annoyed by this additional emotional pull at her heart strings, as her hands took ahold of each corner of the third bookshelf. Tearing it into two, as she dropped the resulting pair beside herself. "Mommy, is that you? I can't... Move."

"Dad... Help, it's too heavy."

A quiet voice called out from the last shelf, the voice of an afraid, horribly scared child.

Her child.

It wasn't Makoto's usual voice, it's tone was too scared and stressed. Unlike Makoto's usual aloof and calm one, which greatly resembled that of an grown worn adult. This particular one was more in line with his physical appearance, not only that, but one of the larger giveaways was that "Mommy." was used instead of Makoto's usual address of "Mother." for Esdeath. That in itself truly brought the full weight of the situation and magnitude of it's impact on her little boy, he was so horribly afraid of fading away and driven to tears at his own helplessness. He had been trapped for minutes, that felt like hours for his young mind.

"Stay calm, don't move. I'm here, I'm here." Esdeath kept pressing her reassurances to him, as her own voice appeared to break.

His small body was instantly overcome with horrible existential weakness, minutes prior as his dangerous powers spiked from the shift in causality that his Father's insane action had caused, then everything came crashing down unto him from each side. As powerful as he was, he hadn't foreseen nor expected that to happen during the session of reading in the Library. His body was now only quarter there, being just left with one side of his head dripping with blood and his face, his right arm then finally one single leg. Everything else was stripped from him, as the bookshelves crushed him flat within' seconds.

Knocking the small boy into the ground, on his stomach.

What was worse, was that as he had previously been caught off guard by sensing his Dad's awakening back into the wider world. Makoto knew exactly what caused the outburst of his powers and the disappearance of his body, as it was practically impossible for his Mother to willfully lessen her love for Tatsumi to cause such whilst Tatsumi himself had always been the dangerous factor.

But, by the time that it struck him... He had already been struck, then buried by the tumbling bookshelves that came unto him.

Wasting no time and with no time to spare, Esdeath swiftly kicked the last shelve away hard into the back of the room as she dove to her knees. Her body shaking without pause, as her teeth were bared in rampant motherly concern as she looked over the horrible state that Makoto was in. He was less than what he was before, he was hardly present as it was. She growled in bitter hurting rage, as she observed the portion of his head that were missing from it's place, she could see straight through him. Scooping him up, and grasping tightly unto the parts that she could see along with the parts that she couldn't but could still feel in her arms.

"Shhh... You're safe now, sweetie."

She slowly hushed him, as the sole green eye that remained on his visible face were positively red from tears, silent tears that kept flowing even now. The horrible reality of the situation finally struck her hard and unrelenting, Budo had been correct, or least whatever the deceased former Great General had tried to make Esdeath fear losing were soon to be lost.

Her own fleeting departing happiness.

Even whilst dead and head hanging on a spike at the gates of the capital, Budo was one tremendous pain in the back that Esdeath couldn't be rid of. She drew one sad smile, as she reflected on the various sadistic torments that she had subjected him to. Taking great care in comforting her boy, as she felt his arms wrap around her as much as he could manage. Makoto was sitting on her lap, as Esdeath herself was kneeling down. Even in the ruined library, where destruction reigned supreme. Esdeath kept her resolve, nuzzling herself against the fading illusionary image of her child that kept himself silent as he had been saved by his guardian.

Esdeath noticed that her child's Incursio itself wasn't entirely stable either as it kept fading and re-emerging back to reality. Which made sense, as it had previously belonged to the deceased Tatsumi of the sad ill-fated future ahead of them. They both stayed quiet as they minutes crept by, that is aside from Makoto's quiet breaths and Esdeath's comforting hushes as they appeared to be working as she had hoped. Seeing as his visible features became partly more hopeful, least by the look of his sole eye.

"Mommy..." Makoto asked quietly, as his sorrowful sullen tone was largely unsure of itself and filled with shaken nerves from his ordeal. For once, it was her son that yearned for affection and comfort, such comfort that he had lacked in his future. Greatly pressing himself against his Mother's body for warmth, as due to the continuous existential pain that coursed through him, everything felt false and cold to him. Esdeath's hand wrapped itself around to take ahold of his furthest shoulder to pull him into her deeper as she replied, her tone equally quiet and gentle.

But filled with so much warmth.

"I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you. You're mine, and not even time itself will take you away from me."

Despite Esdeath's loving but fierce words, they provided little comfort to no comfort whatsoever, his worrying mind that kept trying to justify it's own existence without pause. Much like Tatsumi had done previously, Makoto was simply staring off emptily into the distance as Esdeath tried to establish eye contact with him.

"You're Mommy's special boy, and she loves you so much."

Managing to take ahold of himself and his motions, Makoto turned to face her as his head directed itself up to match the difference in height. If it wasn't for the horrible ordeals that she had already gone through today, then Esdeath wouldn't have been as prepared as she was to hear what came next from his mouth.

"Mom... Why doesn't Dad love me? ...I can't change what I am, and I've tried so much already." That was the last straw of many, causing Esdeath to lift her child up strongly in her arms as she kicked Incursio up from the floor to catch it effortlessly seconds later with her foot. Refusing to let go of him, Makoto's Ice ridden chaotically across the surfaces began to crumble into pieces as the wounded walls around them collapsed unto themselves, Esdeath couldn't be anymore bothered about tomorrow's weather forecast than she was about the Imperial Library being reduced to pieces behind herself as she exited.

"Your foolish Dad does, Makoto. He just stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that solid fact, you are the wondrous product of our special unique love that we share and that love is very real. As real as you are, and as real as you'll always be." Esdeath encouraged him, as she were also doing the same for herself. Finally successful in lifting her boy's fallen spirit, Esdeath saw how Makoto had finally begun to relax in her embrace instead of being tense and unsteady as he were before. "Eventually, he'll give into me... And when he does, you needn't fear about vanishing ever again, I assure you."

"...I can hardly wait." Makoto replied, his voice partly unconvinced causing Esdeath to increase her formerly steady pace back to her quarters.

Like the previous incident with General Agotian, Makoto reflected on his harrowing blatant weakness and absolute inability to overpower and then overcome being tied to causality's tight grasp. He were able to get away with slight changes in history, but one such as his parents being unable to produce him were, as expected, unable to stand.

Meanwhile, Esdeath reflected on their day out together in the Imperial Capital when she opted to take him away from the Palace for Ice Cream. Upon realization that her child's cold nature was indirectly her fault as an result of the doctrine that she had subjected him to.

They were both at one of the Empire's most famous Ice Cream stores, famous enough to have had least fifty people present in the outside seating area, enjoying themselves before Esdeath made them all quickly depart, as she drastically lowered the temperature of her radius. Naturally, being born from her power, Makoto was unaffected and merely assumed they left because of her scary appearance. The store's owner had been terrified himself until he saw the younger boy that she had at her side, which notably calmed him down abit.

"Now, what would you like, sweetie? Pick anything that you want, choose what preferred favor you want and it's quantity." Having her hands on her shapely hips, Esdeath smiled warmly down to her son, as he currently kept his eyes fixed to the menu. "Favor? I can't say, I've never tried Ice Cream before."

"...Aha, then you've come to the right place, kiddo!" The establishment's owner noted, patiently awaiting for their orders, failing to steady his nerves.

The sight of her son's confused, questioning cute face made Esdeath's neutral expression become one very satisfied wide grin. "Take your time, you can try all of them if you like."

"Yes, yes! Of course, it's my pleasure to service the Empire's brave Military Leader!" The shopkeeper cried out, his praise was genuine but rushed in it's delivery, causing it to come across as being flattery without respect.

Due to the height of the menu beside the counter as it was fixed to the wall, and Makoto's clearly short stature. Which unlike Tatsumi, whom came up to Esdeath's chest in terms of height. Makoto only came up to her lower stomach, so she clearly held the height advantage over the two of her boys. As soon as he raised his hand to point at his choice with his fingers, Esdeath came behind him and strongly lifted him up to the sheet by his small waist. To allow her to see exactly what he picked out, smiling at his choice as he had chosen one of her own favorites himself. "I'll take this one, Danger Blood Strawberry."

"Excellent choice, dear." Esdeath added, as she adjusted his position in her arms so that she were simply carrying him in them instead of lifting him. "We'll take two cones, two scoops for me and three for my special boy."

"Aah, it'll be done within' seconds and to perfection...! Ice Cream making is my business, and business is good...!" He rambled, as he swiftly got to work at preparing their orders. The terrifying look that Esdeath gave him, clearly ensured that if he messed up in any way then he wouldn't be in business for longer than more three hours, nor alive for that matter. This was incredibly important to her as she wanted their first outing to go well, then she would have a excuse to take him and Tatsumi on leisurely activities like this more often. "Done, and done! Careful now, it's cold..."

Whilst the owner was perfectly aware of Esdeath's reputation as the infamous sadistic Ice Queen, he hadn't suspected that her eerily looking doppelganger were infamously known as the Ice _Prince_ from his era of time. Which, naturally wasn't possible, as Esdeath leaned herself closer to allow Makoto's hand to take ahold of his cone as she did the same with her own spare hand. As they turned their backs to the shopkeeper, he breathed out. Esdeath letting Makoto drop to the ground as she slipped her hand into her uniform's cleavage, pulling a nicely decorated purse from it. "Now, let me see."

"Your payment, as due." Dropping the coins unto the side, Esdeath spun around and sat at the closest chair at one of the tables. The shopkeeper by his dumbstruck expression, honestly hadn't expected to be paid at all. Not that he would've spoken up about it, if he hadn't as that was borderline suicide. As they'd be no other customers, least not for sometime, he left them alone by closing the counter up for the day. As they were outside in the warm sun, they'd be passing crowds giving them glances as they walked through the streets. "Sweetie, over here. Come join your Mother."

"Ah, huh?" Raising his shocked head up, having been caught off guard by her sweet words, Makoto had been largely absorbed in observing the Ice Cream in his hand as he held the cone gently. "Oh, coming over."

Heading over to the nearest available chair to sit unto it, Makoto jumped back slightly in shock as the chair's hinges were broken apart and collapsed unto themselves suddenly. "Huh, what happened, sweetie? Try the other chair."

His Mother concealed her evil smile under her cap, as she held it with the hand that wasn't holding unto her Ice Cream. Moving to the next closest chair as that one broke apart into pieces too, he finally rushed towards the third in which, on cue, fell apart before his eyes too. "What is the point of this, Mom?"

Despite clearly knowing that she had been responsible, Makoto was very confused by her little games. Much more slower on the uptake, than his Father usually was. Requiring Esdeath to gently pat herself on her thighs as she was already sitting on the only chair at the table, lifting her head up to display her wide smile. Calling him over with one of her fingers. "Such a shame, you'll need to sit on my lap."

"Ah, I can just..." The Ice Prince moved over towards one of the other tables, to pull the chair from it and move it to the table they had chosen. Partly irked, Esdeath caused that chair to break apart in her son's grasp. Then, as he glanced over to another chair. That broke apart too, then as it every single last chair in the sitting area until the only viable place to sit was, indeed, his mother's lap.

Surrounded by the piles of wood around him, Makoto soon walked over to his possessive Mother's side. Having seen before what happens, when he tries to runaway from her desire to dote on him, painful bad things. As soon as he came close, Esdeath strongly pulled him unto her lap, letting him sit on his side between her legs. His ears heard how she sighed happily, feeling her hand come across around his waist to pull him into her chest as they enjoyed their respective Ice Cream.

"This is perfect, why didn't I think of this before..." Esdeath murmured to herself dreamily as she pressed the Ice Cream to her tongue, spinning the cone to try every last angle of it since the sun's heat made the Ice Cream drip excessively as it melted. Glancing to her adorable boy, as some of the melted Ice Cream dripped unto his trousers. "Careful, Makoto. If you aren't... Well, that'll happen."

Esdeath gestured towards the spilled Ice Cream on his trousers, as she instinctively dipped the hand that she held the Ice Cream. Accidentally causing it to spill straight unto her chest, and down her exposed front as she paused in shock. Moving to look at Makoto, who was clearly trying to hold back laughter from the look on his face. She set him off however when she began uncharacteristically giggling heavily to herself as she held him. They'd both laugh happily for two minutes, until they were approached by three individuals.

Nobles, from the look of their attire. They had distinct green hair and they apart of a family. They stood few centimeters away from Esdeath's position as she kept herself on her chair. The Father of the family, middle-aged and holding his hat to his chest in respect, spoke up as the Mother of the family kept her grip around the small girl's shoulder in concern.

"State your business, at once or you'll be detained by the Imperial Military and executed for disrupting my free time." Esdeath nonchalantly stated whilst not even acknowledging their presence with a glance, even if she wouldn't actually be willing to execute them through the official channels, she highly valued the time that she could spend with her son thus clearly didn't want to be bothered by people that she considered less than insects. "Great General Esdeath, we've merely come to deliver our thanks to you in person."

Esdeath simply continued to lick at her Ice Cream as it was almost finished, she had only two scoops afterall, she began gently stroking the soft hair of her son's head with her fingers with the free hand. Greatly enjoying the feeling of his small body against hers. Filled with tremendous pride in herself for creating such a cute little boy with her mate Tatsumi. Makoto himself was dedicating every last piece of his effort in ensuring that Ice Cream didn't spill on anymore of his clothes.

"You see, it was your direct order that prevented my family from being executed in the first place." This line, from the family's Father caused Esdeath's disinterest to halt and replace itself with interest. Finally, she turned her head in their direction and looked them over. She didn't recognize them, but the girl they were with seemed pretty tense. "I don't recall sparing anyone, I hardly go back on my word."

"Oh, if you'll excuse me... It wasn't your command that placed my family in their position, it was... The Prime Ministers." The Father's tone was very afraid, as if he'd summon Honest himself is his name was uttered, nor merely thought of. "I see, and why was that for? If you'd be so kind to explain."

"Honey..." The Mother sadly stated, as she reflected on her son, Lubbock's death.

"My son... He became upset with the life that he led, and joined the Imperial Military."

"That's hardly something to be thrown into prison for, but continue." Esdeath offhandedly commented, keeping her gaze on the trio. "He served under General Najenda, before she defected then joined her band of Assassins..."

" _Night Raid_." Esdeath's tone hardened drastically but she wasn't angry, she knew exactly whom they were now and whom she were dealing with. "I will clarify, I didn't spare you... I could've easily viewed your executions from my observation perch in the Arena, without one single care in the world accompanied by the warmest of smiles."

"Tatsumi spared you, my eternal lover and the Father of this little bundle of joy on my lap." Adjusting his steady position on her thigh, Esdeath curled her fingers through Makoto's hair as she pushed the top of his head into her nose. Nuzzling him shamelessly, as she lifted herself to exchange eye contact once more. "Tatsumi's kindness to your family, was out of respect for his fallen comrade. He did not want your Son's rebellion to affect your lives, as he knew that's not what he would've wanted."

"As I said before, I could've easily watched each of you die. But Tatsumi couldn't, I granted my lover's wish to make him happy." The Mother's grip became harder on the girl's shoulders, as the Father stepped back. Shocked, horrified at her words as whilst they knew that General Esdeath was twisted and deranged. She now had welcomed them further into that viewpoint, by explaining herself. "I... I see, Great General. I'll express my appreciation to Tatsumi."

"Don't bother." Esdeath's short words were hard once more, bitterly hard as she drank the remnants of the melted Ice Cream inside the cone down. Chewing the cone afterwards, as she dusted herself off. Now putting both of her possessive affection seeking hands unto her son, gently stroking his belly as the other hand wrapped itself around his waist. Firmly keeping him fixed on her lap. "Tatsumi isn't accepting any letters currently, and that'll stay that way until I say so."

"He has more important matters to focus on, for starters."

"Aah... My deepest apologies."

Then, finally, the little girl spoke up. Fourteen years of age, and complete with one fiery temperament. In actuality, she wasn't their daughter but their niece. Lubbock's Cousin, she had known Tatsumi during his days as apart of Night Raid. Since she often came by Lubbock's bookstore whilst he were visiting it. They had developed a great bond, and she practically worshipped the ground that Tatsumi walked on. Often comparing Tatsumi's appearance when using Incursio as a Knight In Shining Armor.

A beacon of hope in the darkness.

Which was exemplified when Tatsumi rescued her from one particularly lethal Earth Dragon Danger Beast in the woods, days after receiving Incursio from Bulat on the Emperor's Cruise ship Ryuusen. Inori had wandered off from Lubbock as they were traveling from the Capital to Night Raid's HQ in the outskirts. From that day forth, whenever she had the chance, she wanted to be around Tatsumi as she herself explained that his presence felt "healing." whenever Lubbock questioned about her infatuation with his best friend.

"You're wrong. Tatsumi always put seeing his friends first, he's never been so busy for me or anyone else." Inori stepped forward, as she felt Esdeath's eyes immediately glare into her. With that, she stood upwards from the chair that she'd be sat on and gently place Makoto down, whom kept himself silent and watched. Greatly interested in the activities of his Father in Night Raid. "And whom are you, exactly?"

"I'm Inori, and I'm his niece! Tatsumi's like a Uncle to me, and you've been selfishly keeping him all to yourself." Inori's guardians were floored by her words, as she hadn't revealed this information before to them. Deathly afraid that she'd get them executed, Lubbock's Mother wrapped her hand across Inori's mouth, trying to be gentle but also to prevent anymore dangerous words from escaping her lips. "So hand him ov- Mmmhm!"

"Sorry, we're dreadfully sorry!" She apologetically cried out, as they both lifted the struggling girl from the floor between them. "Yes, she never meant to say that...! She's so jumpy, you know! These days kids don't know half of what they say, ahahaha!"

As they quickly hurried away, Esdeath made no attempt to stop nor pursue them. Instead keeping her eyes on them, and her hands on her hips as they left. Deeply interested in the girl, and her importance to Tatsumi. Makoto stepped closer to his Mother and looked up at her. Hearing the chair behind him break apart as a result of her fiery emotions. "Who were they, Mom?"

"Friends of your Fathers, or more accurately they were family of one of his friends." Esdeath's watchful eyes soon left them, as she positioned them on Makoto instead. "They're dead, however. Wild Hunt saw to that, they managed to stir up some trouble before they died."

"They were skilled, but foolishness got them killed. His Night Raid friends will soon met their respective fates, too. And once they're out of the way, we can live happily in peace before the next dangerous enemy comes that we must quell. But we can do that as a family, darling."

"I see, what relevance does that girl have to Dad, Mom?" Makoto questioned, as Esdeath's frown become one pleased smile as she gently patted her boy on the head. "Smart boy, that's exactly what I were thinking myself."

Back in the present, Esdeath tenderly held her child in her arms, kicking the doors to her quarters open with her boot.

As one hour hadn't yet passed, Tatsumi was nowhere to be seen on their bed when they made way into the bedroom through the entrance wall. Causing Esdeath's heart to throb painfully, as she crept into Makoto's bedroom. Laying him down on his bed, noticing how tidy and neat the room was compared to when he first arrived. The corner of Esdeath's eye observed pieces of paper on his desk, her curiosity easily getting the better of her as she walked on over. Makoto tried to stop his Mother from looking at them, but being as weak as he was found it impossible to prevent her from taking a peek.

"These are..." She muttered quietly in pleasant surprise, taking one of the pieces into her hands. They weren't writings, nor anything formal like that. They were just childish drawings, simplistic but beautiful drawings that he had made. First, they were landscapes and drawings of objects in his room. His table, and his chairs. The bookshelf by the wall, and then they were more complex and harder pieces.

"Drawings...?"

Eventually, they were drawings of them. Exactly like the ones that Esdeath had done in secret of Tatsumi on Stylish's island, in her journal about him. She observed the happy smiling faces that Makoto had drawn unto them, they were sketches and rough versions but the one that Makoto had clearly spent ages on making, were one that he'd be standing in the middle of his parents. Esdeath to the left, Tatsumi to the right. Holding their hands, as they held his. Standing amongst trees, flowers and wildlife as a happy family.

That was exactly it, exactly what she and what her son wanted. She wouldn't rest until anyone that could threaten such happiness were destroyed, even if Tatsumi refused to play his part in it, eventually in time he'd submit to her desire to spend the rest of her life with him. Overcome with one odd combination of sadness and happiness, Esdeath gently placed the drawings unto the table and vowed to have them framed, hung across her quarters walls for her to see everyday to lift her spirits.

Sitting on his bedside, looking at her barely visible child, whom had fallen asleep in his rest. Esdeath quietly whispered to him, stroking his tiny leg delicately as she bit hard against her lower lip. Trying to muster the willpower to perform the logical next action that she had planned, as much as her heart didn't want her too. Her motherly instincts fighting against her as she eventually quelled them. She leaned over her boy, and kissed his forehead. Stroking his cheeks as she drew back, she didn't want to make any mistakes in this, she couldn't fail.

The bottom parts of the bed, began to freeze up as they climbed upwards. Reaching the edge, as they soon surrounded Makoto and consumed his resting body in it's cold. Creating a form of Coffin for him, perfectly preserving his body to keep him safe from harm. Covering every part of him in it, Esdeath gently placed her hand unto the top of it. Soon, within' seconds, two frozen golems rose up from the floor created by the Ice Queen's power. Holding imposing spears, they stood loyally awaiting orders from their General.

"Kill anyone that enters inside here, par Tatsumi. Otherwise, no exceptions." Esdeath bitterly spat, as she covered the floors of the Room. It's Walls, and the ceiling in Ice. Ensuring that nobody could enter inside without her knowing of it, leaving the room behind her as her heart ached more, Esdeath blocked the door from behind with a resulting sheet of Ice. "Curse this fragile heart of mine, if only I could tear it out."

Sliding away one of the wet tears that fell from her eye, now she could focus entirely on winning back Tatsumi's love and save her son from fading away completely. Her senses picked up somebody approaching her entrance hall's doors, but it wasn't Wave with Tatsumi as she hoped. Dusting herself off, and reaffirming her composure. Esdeath walked over as she left the bedroom, opening the doors in the entrance hall seconds later.

"Great General...! Aah, I'll be quick with this. It's about your meeting with the Emperor and the Prime Minister." It was Rogers, he'd be holding one of his clipboards as he read the contents of the paper. He was intelligent enough to see that he had disturbed his Commander in one of her more sensitive moments, so he'd hurry along with his news, she wasn't angry although he wasn't willing to test that. It had been the first time that he saw any remnants of blood on her usually pristine white uniform, so he'd be pretty unnerved by that. "It is postponed until tomorrow's afternoon, it'll take place in the Emperor's Private Audience Chamber and it is to discuss the transference of power from you and the Military to the Emperor. I believe the Prime Minister has become satisfied with the Empire's stability in the recent days, so he's..."

"No, I will not." Esdeath glared at the Lieutenant oppose her as she extended her hand for the clipboard, waiting for it. Even if these weren't his words. She needed a outlet for her rage, as Rogers placed it into the waiting palm. "Even if Honest is satisfied with the Empire's state, I am not. I will not hand over power until I have successfully dealt with the present corruption in the Empire's populace, and ridden it of it's traitorous vermin."

Rogers was completely taken back by this, as he had knew that General Esdeath didn't relish being in charge of the Empire. The excessive amount of paperwork, duties and lack of free time had greatly affected her ability to enjoy herself. Usually, those duties were Honest's to take care of and she largely preferred her role as the Empire's chief protector and warrior against it's foes. So, to Rogers, this was certainty a eye opener to him.

"I... I see, then how should I proceed, Great General?" Rogers clearly didn't want to speak with Honest, especially if the man decided to "Shoot the Messenger." but then Esdeath came through for him, relieving him of his responsibility to act as the scapegoat. He wasn't afraid of the Minister as plenty others were, but he had his own reasons for his dislike of the political schemer. "Continue as normal, I will attend the meeting and inform the Minister of his mistake. Additionally, recall Dr. Stylish to the Imperial Palace, I have use of his talents."

"It will be done, Great General. Before I forget, Fate has requested an audience with you, she wanted me to inform you of that." Finishing up, Esdeath handed the clipboard back to Rogers as she partly smiled, albeit dangerously. "I see, in which case I'll be with her momentarily. Dismissed."

As ordered, Rogers withdrew from the doorway as it closed. In his silence, Rogers bitterly reflected on the misfortune of his situation. Like many others, Rogers had fallen pretty in love with the unreachable Ice Queen as she drew plenty into her forces through distant visual seduction and charm alone. Esdeath liked to flaunt what she had, she was a showoff in every sense of the word whilst still keeping herself reasonably modest and proud. She often encouraged Tatsumi to be more proud of his talents, his body especially like she did but he couldn't particularly grasp that.

"Ugh, whoever decided to stick deadly on hot, deserves one pointy large stick up their ass." Rogers muttered, whilst walking the corridors. Unlike the others that had fallen, Rogers wasn't stupid despite his feelings for the sadist. He knew openly expressing them would only be met with mockery, and aggressively pursuing them would result in castration, then being reduced to one of Esdeath's many pets. He had several friends of his that kept their ears open for any gossip concerning Tatsumi and Esdeath's relationship, and recent news was that they had been distant with each other.

Plenty seeing this as their chance to sway the Ice Queen, through whatever means they could manage. Some, foolishly believing that they could obtain her love and devotion through sheer sexual dominance, or others believing that defeating Tatsumi in battle would ensure that she'd forget about him entirely. How horribly mistaken they were, so very mistaken.

Esdeath herself currently sat down, inside the study that had been painted in Tatsumi's blood. She drew fingers across the floor as the blood had dried, grinding her nails into the floor itself hungrily. Her lonely mind wandered, as she imagined the floor was Tatsumi's back, clawing at it harshly. Sitting alone in the room, as she began formulating and devising plans to take back her man. At her wits end, she decided to use Stylish's Teigu to fix the rest of Tatsumi's injuries, then allow her charm to do the rest. She could care for him, pamper him and please him.

Then, when he took the bait.

Esdeath would hurt him, mold him and possess him.

Looking to the ceiling of the study, Esdeath's mouth grew wide as she imagined exactly what she'd do to her mate. Intending to rein in his disobedience, and replace it with unwavering loyalty, then she'd make him strong as she could. Soon, they'd be nobody in the entire Empire that'd be able to lay hands on him. Not Agotian, Morgana nor anyone else for that matter. Nobody else but herself. "Now it's just us, Tatsumi."

"Nowhere to run, and nobody to distract you from what's important."

"And you've been one bad boy, one very bad boy. I look forward to changing that, I will tolerate any more insubordination from you." Esdeath spoke to herself, as if Tatsumi was listening to her words, even if she knew he wasn't. "Recover from your injured state, and just let me have you. Give every last facet of your love to me, Tatsumi. Nobody else deserves it, nobody else is strong enough to take it aside me."

On cue, they'd be one solid loud knock on the doorway to her quarters. It was Wave, as Esdeath's body immediately sprung into action from it's resting position on the damp cold floor. _It was time,_ Esdeath thought. A odd sense of girlish giddiness in her step, Esdeath marched over to the doorway to greet Wave, and most importantly.

 _Reclaim her mate._

 **There we go, and within' deadline too! Excellent, if I say so myself. As always, thank you so much for supporting and reading the story, I appreciate it...! The Esdeath x Tatsumi Redemption Arc begins now, so get excited for even more drama! And LEMONS, that's right! SEX, Sex that hasn't been in the fic since Chapter 14!**

 **Believe me, I'm as fed up as Esdeath is that she hasn't been getting any, so I'm gonna change that, and change it good...! But, in all seriousness. I'll properly begin trying to keep things between the two steady, but equally conflicting as usual. Additionally, I plan to start a Poll for the story. I originally intended this fic to be 50 chapters long and with only one ending to it, one where Esdeath wins ofc.**

 **But I'm abit conflicted, if I should extend that to least 100 chapters, with the same 13K length per chapter. But there's no point in writing that much, if nobody wants to read it, eh? Just you'll be helping me out immensely, by voting on it.**

 **Finally, I'll be releasing the next chapter in six or so days, it'll be way easier to write than this one, I assure you.**

 **Thanks!**


	23. Chapter 23 - Instinctual Longing

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **So, to sum this up... Zero plot development, but filled with lemon. Enjoy, folks!**

The time had come.

Wave came to deliver Tatsumi to his Commander albeit, hesitantly since apart of the brave Jaeger felt as if he were merely tossing his best friend back into the Danger Beast nest that he had crawled out from. Begrudgingly opting to ignore that side of him, as Esdeath had given him very realistic threats to the livelihood of his comrades back in the Navy, he reigned in the desire to let Tatsumi recover elsewhere. The Medics had done their best on him, clearly acknowledging that Tatsumi's well being was top priority for the Leader of the Imperial Military, and the Empire itself. They had fixed Tatsumi's hand with bandages, and applied a solid medical cast to avoid additional pain at the cost of being unable to move any of it's broken digits. His neck had been bandaged up, and applied with a small comfortable brace to prevent quick movement from possibly reopening the wound. He could still move it within' comfortable, but any erratic movements were off limits.

Blood transfusions had also been given, to replenish the loss quantity that had left him through the wound on his neck. Tatsumi would only be partly woozy from now on.

Surprisingly, Esdeath was satisfied with this level of treatment. She knew that Stylish would arrive within' days, so it was satisfactory for now. But Wave's role wasn't done, he had wheeled Tatsumi into the room as the boy slept on the wheelchair that he'd be sat upon. Noticing the approaching powerful presence of Esdeath, Wave halted in his tracks as she immediately flared up in rage as she noticed Tatsumi wasn't consciously aware of his surroundings, being unconscious. Completely ignoring Wave for the moment, Esdeath threw herself so that she were kneeling directly front of Tatsumi, and pressed her head against her lover's chest.

Solid steady heartbeats, he was just sleeping normally.

Calming down, Wave breathed one notable sigh of relief as the scary aura that radiated from Esdeath faded away as she lifted Tatsumi from the wheelchair and into her loving arms. Pressing his body against her whilst she held him by the bottom of his legs, and his back. "I appreciate your diligence in this task, Wave."

"Ah, thank you...! You're too kind, Commander." Wave blubbered out, as his Leader cut him swiftly off. "Now, leave us."

"U-Understood, you know where to find me." Partly thankful, but also pretty depressed at leaving Tatsumi behind. Wave turned around, leaving the wheelchair behind him as Esdeath unexpectedly stopped him with hard words. "And inform the Imperial Physicians that Tatsumi is to be given daily lessons of physical therapy, so that he may regain the use of his legs and bodily functions."

Wave spun around, as if by instinct then saluted Esdeath with vigor. "Of course, Commander! Tatsumi will be ready to fight alongside us, in no time!"

"No, he will not. I estimate that Tatsumi will be healed soon enough, but he won't be apart of the Jaegers." Wave's confusion was expected, as Esdeath had only introduced Tatsumi's replacement, Fate, to select few of her forces. Those two being Doctor Stylish and Seryu Ubiquitous. She had purposefully kept Kurome and Wave in the dark, as she wanted to introduce their new comrade in arms when Tatsumi's health improved, for her own reasons. "Then, what will Tatsumi's responsibilities be?"

"A good point, Wave. But I will reveal all soon, you are dismissed." Esdeath couldn't help but nuzzle herself against her Tatsumi, in which Wave currently standing even more confused, needed to reassert control of his body to leave the room as asked. He didn't say any additional words, nor continue the conversation. His Commander's body language was enough, she wanted to be alone with Tatsumi. So Wave knew that she'd only see him as a nuisance, if he stuck around and he had been given additional duties before he could spend time with Kurome.

Kurome had the habit of staying awake at night, and it was getting late so Wave wanted to make sure that she didn't stay up too late.

But now Esdeath and Tatsumi were alone, just as she wanted. Deciding that Tatsumi had slept enough in the hour that had passed, along with the month that he had been in his coma, she opted to wake him up. So, that's exactly what she did. Massaging his more aggressively, she adjusted Tatsumi's position in her hold so that she was holding him at the waist, with her arms tightly around them. Tatsumi's legs were currently dangling down, due to the height difference as his head laid against her shoulder.

The blood on her uniform had mostly dried up, as she noticed that her lustful massages had began to have the desired effect on Tatsumi. His eyelids flickering notably, as she pressed herself further into him, by instinct. Unintentionally causing Tatsumi to groan unconsciously, from the excessive pressure that her breasts caused on his chest as she held him. Smiling widely, Esdeath lowered Tatsumi's body so that he'd be touching the floor by the soles of his feet then proceeded to press her lover's head powerfully into her busom, stroking his head whilst whispering to herself. "Just give yourself to me, Tatsumi..."

"I'm already at my limit, and your charades aren't doing me any favors."

"You have what I want, all I need is your word." She continued, as heat began to rise in her chest from the growing excitement that she felt. Whilst Esdeath had cuddled, snuggled and held Tatsumi in her arms during his coma, but had been largely unresponsive in his bodily motions. Practically a ragdoll, in every sense of the word but now whenever Esdeath squeezed him as she did, she could feel Tatsumi's body respond to that affection. His muscles tensed up, and relaxed as she gripped him. "Wake up, Tatsumi. It's no fun if you can't give me any of your adorable trademark reactions."

"...Wake up, now."

When Tatsumi's eyes didn't immediately open, Esdeath's giddy smile began to fade. No less than two hours ago, their entire relationship had been practically turned upside down. What should have been a heartfelt reunion, turned out to be much worse than what either of them wanted. Even so, Esdeath desperately needed this. She needed to feel Tatsumi's arms around her body, so badly that it caused actual physical pain to Esdeath to be without it when she especially craved it. Esdeath had always desired to create a fully intimate, deep sexual relationship between herself and Tatsumi.

And her son's arrival to the past, his appearance and ability. That itself justified the concept of sex even more to Esdeath's eager mind, something that surprised Tatsumi himself deeply. Letting her thoughts cease for the while, Esdeath's eyes left the ceiling and returned to Tatsumi's face. Then, suddenly Tatsumi's eyes opened. "Uhhhrn..."

"...Tatsumi, how do you feel?" Esdeath quietly asked, as she was unsure if he had calmed down from his prior intense psychological breakdown. Even if he had, they'd be lingering feelings of resentment for sure. Together alone in her entrance hall, and it's only exit at the double doors was blocked by Ice. As it had been since Wave left through them. Nobody would be entering inside, nor leaving anytime soon.

Esdeath had even completely forgotten about Fate's request, overwhelmed by her need for Tatsumi's touch.

"Like I'm staring at somebody who just broke my hand and ruined my life." Being rested, Tatsumi was able to form coherent sentences with far better ease than before as Esdeath merely squeezed him harder with Tatsumi keeping his hands to his sides. Tatsumi's voice was filled with venom, as he shook himself awake. "Don't think on that, Tatsumi. Just give yourself to me, before I lose my mind. Let it all go back to how it was before."

"You simply expect me to forget that you killed all those people, Esdeath?" Tatsumi questioned, genuinely. "That I'd just consent to you doing whatever you want, even if I can't say no?"

"You don't control my feelings, Esdeath. I'm my own person, you need to understand that...!"

"I've gone over this several times to you, Tatsumi. You shouldn't reserve any of your feelings for the weak, they perish and you'll be left alone with the pain." Esdeath, indeed, had lectured Tatsumi over this. Greatly desiring to mold him until he'd refuse to spare any time, devotion nor love to anyone else but herself and now, only recently Makoto. It'd go without saying that any of Tatsumi's romantic love was hers, and hers alone. "But I've told you enough times, and I'm not like you!"

"I'm not just some pet that you can play with, nor your slave either! I have feelings, wants and desires!" Tatsumi yelled, as Esdeath merely enjoyed the hard breath coming from Tatsumi's lungs hitting against her collarbones as he vocalized his passionate thoughts then she smiled dangerously. "You are neither, Tatsumi. But, when you refuse me... The line between you and them becomes ever so... Unclear."

" _Hey, Esdeath..._ "

"What are you..." Tatsumi murmured, as he'd soon find himself being lifted from the floor once more, straight into his lover's arms and as one of his hands were already wrapped up. They'd be little that Tatsumi could do in terms of struggling against Esdeath, and any struggling was rendered moot by her intense grip. As he finally relented, staying put and deciding to carefully think on his next moves. He couldn't fight against Esdeath, as much as he wanted to. Being completely helpless as he was, and being unable to summon the rage that he had felt prior to allow him chance to flee.

"Hey-Let me go, Esdeath...! Drop me, dammit!"

His body's condition was awful enough as it was, and he wouldn't even get close to better if he kept on antagonizing her. Refusing her desire for intimacy, wouldn't be advised either as Tatsumi having thought deeper unto the events that had passed during his coma whilst he were confined to the Imperial Doctor's healing. He realized that Esdeath's current possessive needy behavior towards him was largely driven by loneliness, as whilst only what seemed like days cut into hours had passed for Tatsumi in his dream.

A whole month transpired for the Great General.

Then it struck him, Great General. Esdeath wasn't just General Esdeath of the Imperial Military, she was Great General of the entire Empire. Budo was dead, one of the largest players in trying to see him executed, was dead and gone. And whilst, he greatly pitied the way that Budo had perished. Tatsumi felt as if alot of weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Now if anyone tried to see him executed, or thrown into the Torture Chambers. They'd naturally need to stand against Esdeath, whom held the authority to kill anyone that she wanted on the spot without so much as a trial to defend her actions, not that such happened before but now they'd be no possible chance for Tatsumi to be caught and found out.

Only if somebody whom Esdeath trusted spoke up, and the only person that Tatsumi could think of would be the Prime Minister himself.

His greatest obstacle.

As they walked into her bedroom chambers, Tatsumi continued in his thoughts as he was held. Of course, Esdeath would eventually need to die. He had already made up himself but that wouldn't stop him from killing the newly founded Three Beasts first, or letting them wander into Night Raid's crossfire. Seryu and Dr. Stylish were next in line, they were too dangerous and they shouldn't be alive in the first place.

So, to Tatsumi, he was merely correcting the circumstances of their unnatural revival. As for Wave and Kurome, Tatsumi hoped that he'd be able to negotiate with Wave to assist him. He already knew that Wave wanted to protect Kurome, and if Wave could be convinced that leaving the Empire behind were the best course of action then it'd be easy to operate without worrying about facing off against one of his friends.

Lastly, was Makoto. Tatsumi knew that destroying the Empire would cause the child, his child with Esdeath, to lack the future that she wanted for him. Perhaps, aside from Tatsumi's growing feelings for Esdeath that had been damaged prior. Makoto was the largest factor in keeping him from destroying the Empire, instead Makoto inspired Tatsumi to try and reform it.

But, were that truly possible? Even Tatsumi doubted that the Empire could be changed, it'd take years and Tatsumi didn't want to have to deal with Esdeath anymore than the amount of time that he had already.

"I knew you were lying, Tatsumi." Esdeath cut him off, as they entered inside their bedroom, it'd look much more welcoming now that Tatsumi was fully aware of his surroundings.

"Lying, about what?" Tatsumi replied, partly nervous. "Your little tirade rant, Tatsumi."

"Why would I possibly lie about that, Esdeath? I meant every word." Tatsumi affirmed, speaking as if insulted until Esdeath's forward pace halted suddenly. Her expression hidden by her cap, as she spoke up. "Then why is it that your _arm_ is around my shoulder?"

Tatsumi, currently believing that he had been tricked, moved his gaze to the position of his aforementioned arm. Then, it struck him. She had been right, his arm was indeed resting around her shoulder. He had instinctively placed it there, completely of his own free will without realizing it. Subconsciously seeking comfort, from somebody that he supposedly loathed and reviled. "I... I..."

"Quit playing mind games with me, this isn't like you!"

Pulling it back, horrified at his own action. Esdeath's eyes immediately glared at him with his rejection, as she spoke through clenched teeth to the stunned Tatsumi. "Don't you see now, Tatsumi? Your mind may refuse me, but your body knows exactly whom it belongs to."

"Now who's the one lying, huh?" Tatsumi's words didn't have any strength to them, as she had knocked alot of his resistance out of him by merely revealing the fact that he'd also yearn for her touch in ways that, not even himself knew of. Refusing to be rejected anymore, Esdeath dropped Tatsumi from his place in her arms to their bed, as they reached it. He'd be lying across it, as Esdeath loomed over him. "Now, are you going to keep resisting me, or do I have to break you further?"

"I'm a very impatient woman, when I don't receive what I'm entitled to."

Tatsumi tried to lean up, to avoid being pressed unto, but soon found himself being pulled upwards by his cotton pajama's collar regardless. "The easier that you give yourself to me, the easier it'll be for you in the long run."

"You threw away my consent, when you threw away their lives...!" Tatsumi shouted in defiance, as he tried to keep himself steady. Then, Esdeath had another devious idea and switched tactics up once more. "So, were they important people to you? What were your relation with each, if you give me a good answer then I'll apologize and mend my ways in regards to how I deal with your friends."

Even if she were lying, as she knew that Tatsumi didn't have special relationships with any of the people in the booklet. And since they were dead, nor would he ever. They were partial truth to her words, indeed, provided she killed somebody that Tatsumi wanted to keep alive for reasons that she agreed with. Esdeath would be willing to appease Tatsumi to avoid further ruin to their relationship, but she wasn't willing to let up now. "They were... They were..."

Tatsumi paused, trying to think on the fly whilst failing miserably.

"Silly boy, you hardly knew any of them, did you?. They were just names, and positions to you. That's all they were, and all they will ever be. The only one that truly matters to you, Tatsumi. Is me, I am your only true ally in the whole Empire and..."

"...Your Lover." Esdeath proudly affirmed herself on that last point, as if trying to guilt trip Tatsumi into giving into her. As he looked away from her by turning his head, she'd let him go as he hit against the soft bed. She knew that she had broken down most of Tatsumi's resistance now, so it was time for her to claim her prize. "You killed them... Every last one, even their families."

"The ones that lived, live broken ruined lives..."

The reality of being Esdeath's lover was harsh, and Tatsumi's mind desperately tried to justify his position in being so. Was it obligation, choice or no choice of his at all...? Then, it struck him once more. Apart of him, actually liked being Esdeath's mate.

"Even... Even if they were just names, they had lives of their own." Tatsumi's eyes began to drip wet, as he buried himself into the mattress. More upset than angry now, as Esdeath swiftly moved on top of him, crouched over him but holding him all of the same and Tatsumi didn't fight back. "They were people, just like you and me. They had dreams, desires and ambitions. They wanted... They wanted to make things better and-"

Like thousand times before, Esdeath cut Tatsumi's increasingly despairing words off and hushed his lips with her index finger. Verbally cooing at him, largely succeeding in quietening him down as she snaked her arms around him. "Forget about that, it's just us two now."

"They don't matter... In time, you'll forget about them. They're meaningless to us, Tatsumi." Pressing herself against him, she continued to break him down.

"Besides, who do you think cared for you during your coma, Tatsumi? Nobody can give you what I can, and I can give you so much if you give yourself to me."

"Inside this room, and outside of it. I won't let anything bad happen to you." Sliding her warm hands across his resting chest, she gradually began to pull the cotton Pajamas from him by lifting them up over Tatsumi's head. Tossing them aside, Esdeath lovingly smiled at him. It'd be a genuine smile, one devoid of hunger nor lust. "I always keep my promises, Tatsumi. You need me, as much as I need you."

Partly accepting her words, Tatsumi pressed himself closer into Esdeath's busom, if only to mask his leftover tears from being seen. Eventually, Tatsumi caved into his need for comfort, as Esdeath gladly returned such. "I... I can't stand you, Esdeath."

"Not alot of people can, Tatsumi." Esdeath nonchalantly replied, as she held him close. Then he continued. "But... I can't help love you, at the same damn time. I'm disgusted in myself for that, I tried to kill myself back then... Because I couldn't cope."

"It's a paradox... And I want no part of it." Tatsumi slammed his bandaged hand against the bed sheets, gritting his teeth together.

"Shhh, Tatsumi. Let me comfort you, I'll take the pain away." Nursing him, Esdeath slowly stepped away from her position over Tatsumi's body and unzipped her boots. Kicking them away, as she smiled over at him. He didn't return it, Tatsumi merely stared off into the distance with uncertain sad eyes. This was her chance, if she could just show Tatsumi that she had his best interests in mind then she'd be able to slowly rebuilt their relationship back up. "Leave all of your worries to me, they won't cause you any more trouble."

"..." Tatsumi didn't reply, nor attempt any response.

Puffing her chest out, Esdeath's hands slipped into her uniform's cleavage after unbuttoning her uniform slightly to allow such. Pulling her breasts out from it, after doing away with her black contrasting bra. Esdeath sighed deeply in relief, crawling over to Tatsumi before scooping up in her arms, laying him in her lap. She moved them so that she were leaning against the tall headboard of their bed, lifting his limb body enough so that he'd be able to reach her chest with only slight movements of his head.

"What's the... Point of it all." Tatsumi sadly murmured, trying to fight against his primal urges as Esdeath practically laid herself bare before him.

"Go on... You know you want this." She encouraged, Esdeath herself knew that Tatsumi's lower regions were currently off limits, since he hadn't undergone any physical therapy to gain their use, so any excessive rough movements could render him worse off by large accounts. When Tatsumi didn't take to it, Esdeath glanced over to him with concern in her eyes. "What's the matter, Tatsumi? Go on, I won't bite... As long as you don't."

"Esdeath... Am I..." Tatsumi quietly began, as his head was resting against her nearest breast in his dazed state. That was, for all purposes, larger than his hand. Esdeath knew that Tatsumi's love for her enticing breasts was one of his closely guarded secrets. She enjoyed giving him teasing views of her cleavage, whenever he was trying to look. Always ready and willing to rile him up, for a couple of rounds or so, upon succeeding in flustering him to hide himself away from the shock of being caught.

"...A good person?" When Tatsumi finished, Esdeath's confused heated expression morphed into one loving smile as she nuzzled him strongly at his head with her own, repeatedly kissing against his hair afterwards as she instantly replied without any hesitation. Taking deep heavy breaths of him. "Tatsumi... You may not believe it, but I'm not solely after your power nor your potential. Your kind smile is what really drew me, what won my heart. Nobody can take that away from you, and the fact that you've been able to pass that unto our child... Means the world to me, as do you."

"I Just feel empty, right now."

In his depressive mindset, Tatsumi didn't even take into account that Esdeath herself probably wasn't the best person to ask about this, as her opinion alone was extremely biased when it came to her Tatsumi and her moral compass twisted beyond belief.

But, shockingly.

It worked a treat.

Finally, having been swayed by her words and by his own considerable desire for affection in his lonely heart. His base instincts won over Tatsumi's mind, even if alot of what he had ranted about prior were "In the heat of the moment." Tatsumi's disgust with Esdeath was present, but overwhelmed by the love that she had instilled into him. Tatsumi's tongue soon intimately connected with Esdeath's closest nipple, letting his instincts guide him, sending surging pleasurable shocks through her body. For the first time in a month, intimacy was restored as Esdeath drew several long sighs of joy. "That's it, Tatsumi. Give it to me."

"Mmhhm..." Tatsumi quietly moaned against her breast, causing even more delightful chills to travel down and along Esdeath's spine as his heavy breath blew against the base of her nipple by accident.

Tatsumi's swift motions with his tongue, gradually caused Esdeath to fix her eyes to the ceiling as she focused on the sensations of his tongue on her sensitive alluring body. Instinctively pulling him closer by the back of the head. Due to their combined inexperience with sex, they had merely stuck to basic intercourse, but now they were experimenting with themselves and their bodies. Trying to see what felt good, and what didn't. Naturally, Esdeath enjoyed every second of this as she desperately wanted to deepen their list of activities in the bedroom.

Greatly pleased with Tatsumi's current submissive state.

"Let me feel your love, my cute little Tatsumi." Esdeath groaned with building excitement, desiring to deepen their level of intimate physical contact even more, as she shifted Tatsumi's body position so that he were directly facing her instead of being held in her lap. Intending for him to sink his head into her chest, due to the height difference. Successful, as Tatsumi's body sank into her warm welcoming flesh, she began pressing him deeper into herself by applying a gentle loving hand to the back of his head once more. Encouraging him to continue with it, as her spare hand drew hungry circles on his back with it's fingertips. "Don't think about anything but this, focus everything on me..."

"Fall even deeper in love with me, Tatsumi."

Esdeath's cap had tilted itself sideways, due to her frantic head movements caused by the intense pleasure as she leaned further against the board behind herself. The Ice Queen had been so caught up in the moment as it came that she hadn't thought to remove it earlier. Not wanting the blissfully wonderful sensation of Tatsumi's tongue against her nipple's to end, Esdeath instinctively wrapped her legs around Tatsumi's waist, locking him firmly against her.

"There's no escape for you now, just let yourself go wild." She hissed, lust dripping from her voice.

Tatsumi however made no effort to move away, even before Esdeath trapped him with her wonderful thighs, way too engrossed in her breasts as he brought the sole usable hand up from his sides and then used it to squeeze, knead and massage the boob that he wasn't currently lapping at.

"Yes, oh yes... I can't get enough of you, nor that cheeky tongue of yours." Grinning widely in victory, Esdeath's nails began to steadily press themselves harder against Tatsumi's back, not hard enough yet to draw blood as she didn't want to invoke any rage in her mate. Purposefully restraining herself to come across as loving and kind, Tatsumi suddenly stopped with his broad strokes of his tongue, instantly causing Esdeath's elated expression to slowly fade in return, making way for agitation.

Utterly confused, Esdeath's questioning voice came across as deeply hurt as she partly feared that Tatsumi's enjoyment of their sexual interaction had ended in that moment, uneasiness growing in her heart. "Tatsumi...?"

"Answer me-Aaah~!"

Then, Esdeath got her desired answer. In the form of Tatsumi's entire mouth overlapping her opposite nipple, switching between them as his un-bandaged hand continued to knead it's chosen breast strongly. Soon, her lover's fingers began pinching her erect nipple, pulling unto it strongly with glee. Completely floored by this unexpected daring act, Esdeath lost control over her previously formidable level of restraint as her hungry fingers clawed at Tatsumi's back. Her lustful happy expression happily returning to her crimson face, as Esdeath's eyes fell back unto the ceiling in bliss.

"That's it, don't stop... Let me nourish you, Tatsumi."

She moaned loudly without reservation, having been too pent up to care about her voice, compressing her mate harder against herself when Tatsumi began to suckle more intensely. Taking short breaks, to gasp air and make strong hard strokes against Esdeath's areola in circles. In that moment, Esdeath fixed her eyes Tatsumi's bouncing bobbing head that kept serving her breast with fiery dedication, as her mind dreamily wandered to the thoughts of her future self. She had become a Mother and naturally, breastfed her little boy in his time as a newborn. Whilst this wasn't the same, as they'd be no milk for Tatsumi to consume, Esdeath's excitement at becoming a Mother increased tenfold. "You're mine, all mine. I'll kill anyone that so much as touches you..."

"Mmhhhm..." Tatsumi moaned in response, still enslaved by his own instincts, unable to properly answer Esdeath's possessive proclamations. Then, as he came up for additional air to breathe, Esdeath strongly pulled Tatsumi's face straight in-between her large mounds. Taking him with both hands, by the back of his head. "I want you inside me, so very badly."

"Just you wait... As soon as your healed." Gently circling her fingers against his back, Esdeath's words felt more ominous than gentle.

Esdeath's agitation at being unable to engage in proper intercourse with Tatsumi was considerable, as expected. Even if she greatly enjoyed the quick work of Tatsumi's tongue on her bouncy breasts, it wasn't enough to satiate her tremendous lust for him. Even if Tatsumi's stamina when it came to sex was usually enough, they'd be times that Esdeath's libido greatly outmatched his own. Causing her to finish earlier than she wanted, but apart of her knew that it wasn't her mate's fault. She was simply too sexually aggressive, and vastly more excitable than Tatsumi.

Then a switch flipped in Esdeath's head, same as with Tatsumi whom despite being unable to put the required force in his legs to stand on them, currently harbored quite the impressive erection. Realizing that Tatsumi currently was enslaved by his passion, and merely needed a slight push. Esdeath moved her hands to Tatsumi's shoulders from his back, and gently but surely pushed him from between her breasts and then against the lower parts of her stomach. "Don't be afraid, Tatsumi."

"...What do I do?" Tatsumi murmured, his mind barely able to form words from it's excited state. "Press yourself against me, let your breath hit against my sensitive spots..."

"Ok... Ok..."

Taking a deep heavy breath, Tatsumi slowly nodded at her words. His usable hand lifted the skirt that she wore up, as matching black panties were seen. Wet damp patches were visible on the fabric, combined with the womanly alluring scent that Tatsumi's nose couldn't ignore. Unable to think rationally to stop himself, he took ahold of their edge before pulling them down her legs as much as he could. Esdeath helped him with this, by posing herself enough to allow them, to practically slide down her legs until they were at her ankles. She resumed her previous posture, and left them where they were.

Grinning widely, adjusting her cap for a better fit on her head, Esdeath egged Tatsumi on. "Go on, big boy. Make your lover scream for you, you can do it."

"Alright... I can do this." He replied, as she pushed him even lower until his red face was directly between her thighs. Then, still having her legs wrapped around him against his back. Esdeath shoved her lover's head powerfully into her soaked nether's. Tatsumi's nose, and upper lip were immediately met by the excessive dampness of Esdeath's entrance as his ears were equally greeted by the loud vocal cry of pleasure that she released at the same moment. "Yessss... I've wanted to do this, for so long, so very long."

Of course, Tatsumi couldn't respond to that as Esdeath had instinctively wrapped her legs tighter around him to prevent escape, along with taking one hard grip of his wavy hair to additionally keep him where he was. Groaning from the sharp pain, and met with no other option, Tatsumi's tongue hesitantly began exploring the new environment directly infront of him. Sliding upwards in long broad upward strokes. Tatsumi's head was partly concealed by her white skirt, which only caused Esdeath to moan louder in her growing excitement.

Due to his adorable inexperience that his partner adored so much, Tatsumi didn't realize that aggressively licking against her clit, Esdeath's most sensitive erogenous zone would cause the tremendous shockwaves of rampant pleasure to arise. Exemplified by her husky restrained groans, then further exemplified by her hand forcing Tatsumi straight back into that same spot as he tried to pull away for air. Forcing him to lap her up with his tongue. "That spot, my love. Keep hitting that spot, don't stop..."

Keeping up the foreplay, Tatsumi's tongue kept hitting aggressively at the sensitive clit. Unaware that his instinct driven actions were causing Esdeath's eyelids to flicker from it, along with her eyes rolling back. Completely absorbed in the blissful feelings flowing through her as the strong hand on her mate, finally released itself from his soft hair as Esdeath felt herself getting close to her peak.

"...I need you so much, Tatsumi. I've been without you... For so long, that I can hardly control myself."

During his quick powerful strokes, Tatsumi's tongue unexpectedly entered inside Esdeath's tightness, unintentionally spreading her and causing further quivering motions.

Esdeath's hands took ahold of the headboard directly behind herself as she desperately needed something to hold unto, she couldn't use Tatsumi anymore as she were fully convinced that if he kept going as he was, that she'd end up pulling his head straight from his shoulders. Forced to close her eyes, so she could focus entirely on the motions of Tatsumi's tongue. Esdeath released one final womanly gasp as she came explosively, before Tatsumi's soaked head pulled itself away to recover. "Aah... Aaah... How, how was that?"

"Did I... Do anything?" Tatsumi, currently panting heavily as his head rested against her soft squishy thigh. His face, wet and sticky with Esdeath's juices that came before and after her orgasm. Partly blinded by her short skirt, Esdeath took ahold of her cap and threw it aside. Clearly having to take time to recover before replying in kind. "That was... Beyond even words, my darling."

Grinning massively, enjoying the warm afterglow of her climax. Esdeath gently stroked her mate's head, leaning forwards as her body recovered. "You're mine, Tatsumi. Every last part of you, belongs to me. I will not allow anyone else to feel this way, from your touch. I'm the only one that can have this, Tatsumi."

"Esdeath... Why are you so..." Tatsumi tried to speak up, gradually regaining his senses as they were able to break away from the uneasy cloud of lust that overcame him prior. "Our bond is special, so don't refuse the parts of you that enjoy it. Even if you push them down, I'll simply bring them back up to the surface as I have."

"There's nothing that you can hope to hide from me, your body may not yearn for mine as much as mine does for yours..." Esdeath kept her eyes on Tatsumi's resting head, unable to see his growing sad expression because her skirt and his unruly hair. "But, that'll change. This proves it, even if you supposedly loathe me... Your body is honest, so very honest."

"..." No words came from Tatsumi's closed mouth, he instead merely listened and kept himself still.

Esdeath's grin notably lessened as she saw that Tatsumi's erection was very much still present and lively, realizing that Tatsumi's silence was caused by the fact that he hadn't been satisfied as she had been. Thus, wasn't in the mood for conversation at any rate. Refusing to allow her mate to go unsatisfied, she forcefully took hold of Tatsumi's shoulders and threw him into the bed as she came over him. Pinning him down, as she let herself fall unto him slowly. "My, my... I've been such a bad lover, ignoring my mate whilst overtaken by my own selfish needs, mhm~?"

Even if she were teasing him, they'd be truth in her words. Esdeath, while clearly the dominant half of the pair, still wanted to ensure that Tatsumi saw sex as being something to look forward to. A deeply satisfying venture for the two of them. She absolutely did not want him to associate love making with merely serving as a outlet for his lover's needs, whilst being unrelieved on his part. "Allow me to rectify that, in my own special way."

Tatsumi could only widen his eyes, and gasp heavily as Esdeath's firm hand took grip of his length, squeezing it gently. Admiring it, from the close distance as she drew deep breaths of his male scent. "You're so warm here, Tatsumi. I can cool you off, if you like?"

"N-No... I'm fine, you can let me go..."

"Oh, I won't be letting you go anytime soon. Just lay back, and let me do all of the work." Repaying Tatsumi back for his earlier service, Esdeath drew her tongue across the shaft of Tatsumi's erect throbbing member. Immensely curious, as she hadn't performed such before. She began experimenting to learn more, greatly desiring to learn more about the male sexual organ to increase her ability to please her man. Tatsumi, naturally had been overwhelmed by this surprise. Tightly clutching the sheet of the bed, with his only good hand as his eyes shut themselves from the pleasure.

"Esd...Esdeath, st-stop... That's too-" Panting heavily, Tatsumi shook his head as Esdeath kept going on and on. Refusing to stop, as her spare hand began gently cradling and stroking his balls. Staring heavily, as if obsessed by the mere sight of them as she spoke. "So, my love. Are you as surprised as I am, that just one drop of your seed could create such a wonderful talented child..."

"What are you.." Tatsumi choked, trying to restrain his voice. His eyes now open, staring at his lover's face. Esdeath's hand took firmer hold, as she pulled back some of his foreskin to expose the head of his penis. Grinning widely, as she then wordlessly swallowed Tatsumi up. Gobbling up half of him within' that one plunge, locking eye contact with him. Esdeath steadily began moving herself on him. Taking more of himself up with each compression, testing herself and her impressive gag reflex.

Drawing great pleasure from watching Tatsumi visibly wiggle and squirm, Esdeath drew some of her astray hair away from her face to continue her perverted act.

Eventually succeeding in deepthroating her boy's entire thick length in her mouth, sliding her tongue across it as she kept it compressed tightly with her pursed lips. Enclosing them around him, ignoring Tatsumi's pleads to be released from her hold. In victory, Esdeath slid her hands across Tatsumi's abs, staring intensely at him.

This went on, for ten minutes, Esdeath intentionally pushing him to the peak before slowly pulling away from it. Due to Tatsumi's extreme sensitivity, she could've easily made him climax at any moment that she wanted prior but continued, due to her inexperience with oral sex and the strange yet pleasant taste of his member.

Finally, she decided that she had teased Tatsumi enough along with becoming satisfied with her own level of acquired knowledge. Letting her instincts lead her motions, Esdeath powered herself on and repeatedly slammed herself into Tatsumi's length. Fully intent to drain him, as her prey could only cry out in strained pleasure. Having been deprived of release for ten long minutes, then Tatsumi came. Explosively, and without holding back. That said, he hadn't released anything in one month, so the load that Esdeath was considerate to say the least.

"Aaaaah~! Esdeaaaath...!" Despite having foreseen this, seconds before it'd happen. Esdeath didn't pull herself away from him, as she kept him inside her mouth. She could've easily let him release himself on the sheets, or unto her breasts, but Esdeath's crazy sense of possession refused to allow her to waste Tatsumi's seed to the bedsheets. She needed to take everything from him, everything that he had was hers. Seconds into Tatsumi's long awaited orgasm, Esdeath's hand slowly pumped the rest of his seed from him at the shaft, wringing him out to the last drop until she was satisfied that he had been properly spent. Withdrawing from him, Esdeath slid her tongue across the top of the head to lap up, the remnants of his cum before finally freeing him from the confines of her mouth.

 _"As expected, every part of you is equally delicious, Tatsumi."_ Esdeath thought.

Immediately after that, Tatsumi's body completely fell limb. His head turned to it's side, as his hair was strung messily across his face. His mouth panting heavily, as his chest rose and descended without pause. Unlike prior to this, Tatsumi was now content and satisfied in every sense of the word. Unable to continue going as his stamina failed him, and his body was weak. Meanwhile, Esdeath swirled the thick jelly-like contents of her mouth with her tongue, tasting it and savoring the taste as much as she could. Holding her chin, as the other hand gently stroked where her navel was, at her womb.

Gulping it all down, finishing off by licking her lips in victory. Esdeath drew her arm across her mouth, as she looked on at Tatsumi. Realizing that she was still wearing some pieces of her uniform, Esdeath sat on the side of their giant bed. Removing the gloves, sliding her panties from her ankles, placing them neatly with the rest of her uniform as she took the pieces off. Tatsumi had already drifted off asleep at this point, spent from his orgasm enough to cause easy slumber to arise.

Which left Esdeath alone, crossing her legs as she leaned back abit. Using her hand to support herself as she glanced towards her lover's sleeping adorable face, smiling happily to herself. "You can be so stubborn, Tatsumi. And as much as I love that side of you, that needs to stop..."

"I can't risk losing this important happiness, to your headstrong ways." Esdeath silently said to herself, as she folded her arms below her breasts. "If only I could train your mind to my liking as much as I can your body, my love."

Bitterly sighing to herself, she opted to sleep. Not wishing to ruin the wonderful afterglow of her love making in her own despairing dangerous thoughts, shifting Tatsumi's laid out body under the covers, Esdeath wrapped her arms around his chest from behind. Interlocking their legs together as she nuzzled into him.

Then, like Tatsumi. Esdeath fell asleep, comforted by her mate's warmth.

"We cannot lose anymore ground to the Empire." One of the Revolutionary Army's Leaders spoke out, currently sat around the table composed of the Rebellion's lingering leadership. They were stationed far away from the Capital, in it's outskirts to the west. The Leaders of the Army were informed to only bring their most trusted loyal subordinates to the private meeting as if word got out that every single last member of the upper-brass were gathered in one spot. They'd be massacred without mercy, so their presence here was a closely guarded secret. "With the Great General leading the Empire, as it's Head-of-State, we're powerless to oppose the Empire."

"If we don't strike one firm divisive blow, that'll leave them reeling back... We'll be wiped out, for certain." The mood was, as expected, very low as they had all lost friends and family to the Empire's onward charge. The Military Tent they were in, was filled with holes and cuts. They didn't even have time to maintain their equipment, having always been on the run from the Empire's gaze. "Night Raid have received their third member, correct?"

"Yes, but they haven't been properly inducted... They currently serve as a Spy in Esdeath's legion, their information has saved quite a number of us from General Morgana's tactics." The Head of the table called out, he'd be more aware of the situation than most. They all collectively sighed at that moment, as the Head soon slammed his hand firmly against the wooden surface infront of him. "...But, that won't last long."

"Why so, hm? He hasn't been detected for months, so why would why suddenly find him now?" One of the Leaders asked, as they drank from their goblet of water on the table. "The Teigu that we've given him, practically renders him undetectable and moreso capable of defending himself against threats."

"General Morgana." The Head stated, his arms folded and his nostrils flared. "She possesses Spectator that was took from us, she is gradually ridding the Empire of it's spies by reading their minds. Those suspected of treason are interrogated, then either killed or tortured. They're making examples of us, and that only scares the men further from trying to complete their missions. So, if Lieutenant Rogers slips up..."

"He's next in line for the Torture Chambers." The Prime Leader finished, as he leaned further back against his chair as another voice called out. "The Western Tribes may not be allied with us anymore, but they're taking a sound beating by General Agotian's forces... They've lost entire swaths of their land already."

"...No thanks to the General's beasts, they're more dangerous than we expected." The voice continued, as they deeply sighed themselves. "And sizable number of his forces are made from soldiers barely out of their teens, no doubt from Agotian's illegal pit-fighting arena, even if the Empire refuse to acknowledge it."

"The bastard is clearly responsible for the kidnapping of countless children from the streets of the Capital. War orphans, and the like. Swaying them with promises of a better life, only to have them fight against Danger Beasts." The six of them, including the Head of the table all wore grim expressions as they were all of it themselves. The reminder only served to deepen their understanding of the awfulness that had befell them. Then, appearing as an ray of hope.

Akame and Leone entered inside the tent, they themselves wearing equally grim expressions. Akame moved to stand in the corner of the room, staying silent as Leone followed along with her. They were all silent, until Akame spoke up to address the situation. "We've arrived, what remains of Night Raid... Least, in the official sense."

Even with Esdeath's clutches tightly wrapped around Tatsumi, Akame and Leone still considered Tatsumi to be apart of Night Raid, even if they kept that sentiment secret amongst the other members of the Revolutionary Army whom saw Tatsumi as nothing more than a turncoat of the worst kind. "Man, if I knew that it'd be this depressing then I'd have dragged along my Tin-friend along for laughs." Leone offhandedly mentioned, scratching her chin.

"...Welcome Night Raid, we appreciate that you've come on such short notice." The Head announced, as the rest of his subordinates merely looked on. "Our next move is-"

"To disband." Akame strongly stated, as gasps were heard from the table. Leone merely hid herself behind her hair with her arms folded. "What do you mean, how could we merely give up? We've come so far and we aren't beaten yet."

"Think about it, if you continue struggling then that's all that you will achieve. Struggle, the Revolutionary Army isn't what it once was... And it probably won't ever reach that peak again, now that Esdeath is serving as the Head of State in the Empire. With complete control." Akame stepped closer to the table, gently leaning against it with her hand. "We lost our best chance to strike, during Great General Budo's defeat, we were occupied with trying to keep ourselves afloat so much that we missed the chance to attack at their weakest."

"They'll be another chance, there always is! We can't just throw in the towel, just because they've got the advantage against us. That's not how you win a War." The Head tried to press his opinion, but Akame always seemed to have a counter for his words. "This isn't a War, Commander. It's a downward spiral, and we're falling even further down with everyday that passes. The Revolutionary Army doesn't have the numbers to justify itself anymore, and our forces have families to take care of. If they linger about, they risk losing them more and more."

"I...I see, you're right." The Commander sadly noted, as he let his head rest against his fist. "But, what else is there to do? We can't let Esdeath reign over the Empire, continue to oppress the people and destroy the defenseless!"

"Don't worry, it'll be only the Revolutionary Army that is disbanding... Night Raid will remain active, as long as it has members to fight for the dream." Akame, channeling Najenda's wisdom announced. Leone, now widely grinning spoke up to cheer Akame on. "Ain't that right, as long as we're kickin' that Ice-Bitch won't be able to relax for nuthin'!"

"...Your devotion pleases me, but I ask for this... Revolutionary to Revolutionary, Akame." The Leader of the Revolutionary Army stood up, and lightly bowed forwards in respect. The others of the table followed suit, seconds later. "Allow us to host one last stand against the Empire, and those that live will go into hiding as you request. If we fail, then the Revolutionary Army is no more and we will disband but allow us to at least hold up our arms in defense of what's right and proper."

"...Fine, I've asked enough from you to not deny you that." Akame nodded, as she held Murasame tightly in her hands. Smiling lightly to the Leader whom returned it, then one of the Revolutionaries present threw down a map over the table. The map in question would be of one of the walled fortress cities to the south-west of the Capital, the city of Fallhaven that were under the authority of a Feudal Lord whom naturally were under the authority of the Empire.

The Feudal Lord had struck a deal with the Revolutionary Army in the past to bypass the Empire's strict conducts, as such, the Revolutionary Army often made certain Imperial visitors mysteriously disappear if they disturbed the peace, or tried to blackmail any of the Lord's family. These acts were always blamed on the insurgents, so the Feudal Lord had escaped without so much as a scratch.

Now, the Rebellion had come to collect it's payment for their assistance, and with Fallhaven's populace evacuated from it's walls.

They'd stage their final stand against the Empire's tyranny.

When Tatsumi awoke in the afternoon's sun, he immediately noticed that his hands were locked tight in restraints at the wrists behind his back. Tatsumi's ankles were held together by restraints aswell, along with noticing that he had been cleaned and dressed up. His bandaged changed, and swapped with clean pairs. Presumably by Esdeath, as he tried to look around the room. Lifting his head from the soft pillow that it had been laying on. He noticed that they'd be no warmth from the side of the bed that Esdeath classified as her own, therefore she had been gone from it for a while.

"You can surely sleep for your country, kid." Fate noted, as she were sitting on one of the nearby decorated chairs in the room. Reading a book, apart from Esdeath's hired attendants that cleaned and tidied the rooms. Fate was one of the few people alive permitted to freely enter inside the quarters that she shared with Tatsumi. "What... Actually, WHO are you?"

"Me? Well, I guess you could say that I was Mistress Esdeath's favourite, until you came along Tatsumi." Fate smirked, as she let the book fall unto the side of the chair. Tatsumi's eyes adjusted to the light in the room, as he noticed Fate's markings on her chest. His eyes widened, as he saw the Demon's Extract symbol branded into her skin. She was one of Esdeath's pets, but what was she doing inside Esdeath's bedroom and more importantly near him. "Favourites, you say? Don't saddle me up with you, I wanted no part of whatever Esdeath is... I'm just here for the ride, so what're you doing here anyway?"

"I've been ordered to escort you to the Imperial Physicians, and watch over you during your physical therapy." Fate stated, with one notable shrug of her shoulders before she rolled them back to stretch. "So, try not to die, okay? From your record, you've got a consistent streak for brash insane actions that'd make even me blush."

"Surprised you're still alive, actually. But I suppose that's why your Mistress Esdeath's favourite, and naturally why you're still kicking."

Tatsumi began to crawl away from the bed, to sit on it's side. Now facing Fate properly, as he replied. "You don't understand, do you? I never chose to be Esdeath's favourite. Nor did I want her protection in the first place, I can handle myself just fine... Her "protection" borders on excessive, if not possessive."

"Okay, okay. Don't rub it in, I'm jealous enough as it is." Fate laughed to herself as she stood up, and gestured for Tatsumi to wait there. "Just a moment, I'll bring the wheelchair over. Wouldn't want you hurting yourself trying to walk, huh?"

When she were far enough away, Tatsumi offhandedly muttered to himself. _"...Bitch."_

Inside the Emperor's Private Audience chamber sat Prime Minister Honest and the Emperor himself. They'd be jovially discussing casual affairs between them, with the Emperor having a small cup of tea at his side on the table, with Honest having a larger mug of coffee. Honest felt Great General Esdeath's arrival before it were announced by one of his aides, that came up to him in alarm. "Your excellence, Great General Esdeath has arrived...!"

"Ah, splendid. Welcome her inside, we have much to discuss about." Honest grinned, his left arm currently strung in an medical cast from the prior impact that Esdeath accidentally attacked him with. Honest knew that, therefore wasn't too fussed about the injury, if it caused him minor bouts of pain here and there. "Yes, sir! It will be done, as you request."

The aide ran off, and opened the doorway to the Audience Chamber as Esdeath strode inside. The force of her movement, accidentally caused the aide to fall over unto the floor. Esdeath paying no mind to his fall, as she walked up the steps to the table. Honest observing her every move, Esdeath would be currently dressed in her uniform, but wore the longcoat that were traditional wear for the General General of the Empire.

When she arrived at the table, she did not bow nor greet the Emperor. She merely sat at her place on the table, and poured herself a glass of the wine that'd be at her spot, sipping it's contents before placing it back down. Placing her fingers together into a tent, as her elbows rested on the table. She waited, waited for them to speak.

"So, Great General... I believe you've been looking forward to this meeting as we have, correct?" Honest were the first to speak, as the Emperor merely kept his eyes fixated on the quiet Ice Queen. To him, this behavior was pretty strange so he kept silent. "...We have much to discuss, the month have been one of great success and triumph for the Empire! The Empire and it's people are forever in your debt, Great General Esdeath."

"...It has, the Empire is reformed up to standard and it's ranks have been cleaned of Budo's taint." Esdeath finally spoke up, as she kept herself hidden beneath her cap. "Then you see why it is natural to recall the Martial Law, then reinstate the Emperor and the Imperial Court back into control of the country."

"Of course, that is abundantly clear, even to me. As the Empire's Chief Warrior it is my responsibility to see it's enemies destroyed, laid bare and defeated. I have no intentions to rule, and my patience with ruling is wearing thin. The workload is excessive, and my free time is short."

Honest's smile grew, as he sipped some of his coffee with his good arm. The Emperor visibly more calm, but leaving the discussion to Honest as expected. "Excellent, there is but one paper to sign and then things will be as they should be... The transference of power will be swift, and completed within' the day."

"And as a reward for my service, the Emperor has decreed that I be granted another additional term as Prime Minister to continue to watch over our proud Capital for another five years." Honest added, as the Emperor nodded with a smile. The Emperor finally speaking up, as Esdeath merely listened. "Of course, my watchful advisor rightfully deserves the place he has earnt through his selfless efforts to promote stability and it is my joy to extend that stability by ensuring it's guardian remains, where he is."

"Beautifully spoke, my Emperor." Esdeath looked up, as her smile was seen. "I couldn't agree more, but there is one minor detail that I must inform you both before anymore words are said, you know."

"Even if I loathe the position of the Empire's Head-of-State, I have no intention of discarding it as you expect." Esdeath took ahold of her wineglass, sipping it casually as the two before her look positively shocked at her words. Gently placing it back down, and resting her head in her hands. Esdeath's own smile grew. "You see, Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army, however small, continue to pose a threat to the Empire's stability and it's people. Including my two precious boys, and that won't do. I have no intention of changing the status quo, until either one of those are destroyed. Regardless of which falls first, until then I won't be handling away my political power to you nor the Emperor."

"Bu...But, Great General...! You are aware that could take months to accomplish, are you prepared to take on such burdens?" Honest nervously replied, stroking his beard to relief his nerves. "Myself and the Emperor are ascertain that you've got better things to worry about, than running the Empire... Like your partner and that son of yours."

Unknown to Honest, he had made one very fatal mistake. He had brought up Tatsumi and Makoto's circumstances up, where they shouldn't have been brought up. Within' moments, Esdeath's hand pulled the large wide table from the floor and hurled it sideways, so she could stand directly over Honest. Emanating hostility, Esdeath's arms folded across her chest as the Emperor stood up, panicked as he tried to look at Honest for direction. "It is not your job to inquire on the importance they hold in my life, Minister. They have no relevance to this current conversation, and trying to use them against me... Will not be forgiven, nor tolerated. You are warned, and now that I've warned you."

"I...I...I understand perfectly!" Honest spluttered out, secretly terrified as he simply leaned against his chair. The pieces of ceramic and glass scattered across the room, as the table had tipped every refreshment on it.

"Any further attempt to manipulate me by bringing them up, and I'll break your other arm." Satisfied that she had gotten through to the Politician, Esdeath adjusted her cap in her head. Facing the Emperor with her hand against her hip, and bowed over towards him. Walking briskly away, Esdeath halted before turning around to the Emperor once more. "Oh, and you have my thanks for helping my son with his homework, my Emperor."

With that, she left through the way that she came. The Imperial Guard entering the room, seconds later as they had heard the loud crash. The Emperor stood idily by, as he recalled that Honest had told him that he had broken his arm in some form of accident, involving stairs and him failling down them. He had never mentioned anything about General Esdeath having something to do with it.

The afternoon passed slowly by and it was now evening time, Tatsumi had completed his physical therapy that surprisingly helped him way much that he had originally suspected it would. Now, he could actually walk without failing over even if his body wasn't fully healed. This was thanks to the physical therapy, and the fact that he had been allowed to activate Incursio once during the sessions since Fate was entrusted with the Teigu. Tatsumi had thought on using Incursio to make a scene, but relented when he thought on the fact he hadn't seen any sign of Makoto all day, his door to his room locked up.

That and he wasn't aware of the power that Esdeath's pet held inside herself.

Sitting on the bed, currently chewing on some bread, Tatsumi heard Esdeath approach the doorway into the bedroom, in the Entrance Hall. His senses having recovered, as he laid back into the pillows. Crossing his legs, as she noticed him. "Hello you, how do you feel, any better?"

"...You could say that, yeah." Tatsumi replied, chewing some of the bread in his mouth. From the looks of it, Esdeath hadn't simply arrived to check on him, but instead intended to rest for the day. She had been hard at work, afterall unlike Tatsumi who slept until the afternoon. "I'm glad, you can't imagine what I went through seeing your strength so reduced, even if apart of me liked it."

"I don't understand you, Esdeath. You say that you want me to become your equal, but at the same time... You seem averse to the thought of me gaining any more power than what I have, just what do you really want?" Tatsumi questioned, as he leaned up from the bed, having been staring at the ceiling during this time. He drew one notable gasp of shock, when Esdeath was standing directly beside the bed. She had been at the doorway, when he last fixed his eyes on her. "Ah, don't scare me like that."

"Scare you, silly boy. You know what I want, Tatsumi. As long as your with me, that's all what matters. Being able to train you up, mold you into my equal is merely one of the benefits of that. My aversion comes from the fact that whenever you grow in strength, you always end up getting hurt." Esdeath explained, as she sat on the bed. Crossing her legs around the other as she turned herself sideways, undressing Tatsumi with her eyes. Wetting her lips with her tongue, as she leaned closer to him. "So, it's my responsibility as your lover and your Commander to prevent that. I want you to enjoy being my mate, if you start to hate it... Then there's clearly something wrong in that regard, Tatsumi."

"Don't you understand, Esdeath. I already hate it, you smother me...! I've told you this, countless times-" Once again, Esdeath's index finger came unto Tatsumi's lips. Hushing him, as she wrapped his body up in her embrace. Letting her lips get in close to his ear. "But that's just your rebellious side talking, isn't it? What I meant is if every single part of you started to hate me, not just the sides that believe they do."

"Don't trick me..." Tatsumi groaned, as her embrace was awfully tight and firm. His face contorting suddenly, as Esdeath's hand squeezed his cheeks together with one grab, as she slid her tongue across her mate's chin straight up to his temple. Repeating the action, upwards and downwards several times until she were satisfied with it. "It's so cute, that you fail to understand... Fail to understand that your own adorableness makes it so hard for me to restrain myself when it comes to you, when it comes to you I can hardly control myself.

"I want to bully you so much, push you around and tease you. Make you beg for me, Tatsumi." Letting him go, momentarily. Esdeath soon pushed him straight unto the bed, as she came over him. Enjoying the sexual undertones that came with the position they were in, Tatsumi tried to worm himself out of it. "What makes you think I'll just let you, Esdeath? I have my pride, you know."

"Of course you do, Tatsumi. And that's the best part... The gentler other part of me, wishes to see you satisfied, happy and content." Esdeath allowed herself to fall in close to Tatsumi, nuzzling him as he tried to pull away from her. Blushing as his eyes viewed the considerable amount of cleavage that she'd be showing him through the action. "If only that part were as present as the other then perhaps we'd have a better relationship, Esdeath."

"Maybe, maybe so. But things are perfect as they are, Tatsumi." Now wrapping her arms around him fully, Esdeath compressed herself against her man. "You certainty have a odd definition of perfection, Esdeath."

"Say what you want, Tatsumi. But know that you are bad-talking the future mother of your children, children that I am very intent on having..." Chills fell down Tatsumi's back, as he moved deeper into the sheets as Esdeath sank herself into his hair as their height difference allowed so. Once again, sniffling him deeply as she continued her words. "Wouldn't it be magical if we had twins, Tatsumi? Two wonderful bundles of joy, in just nine months... That's save us so much time, too."

"Esdeath, aren't you abit too obsessed with this? Do you really think the Empire is the proper place to raise children, our children?" Tatsumi questioned as she suddenly stopped her breaths, pulling herself up from her laying position and opted to sit on his waist. Gently tracing her fingers across where Tatsumi's abs would be, smiling dangerously at him. "The Empire is the perfect environment, Tatsumi. Think about it, now that I control everything about the Empire... There's no place safer than here, isn't that right?"

"I could easily declare myself Empress, and fill the royal family with our young, hm? Once everyone else that opposes us is laid defeated, buried and dead." Esdeath dreamily sighed, even if she had no aspirations to rule properly, she wanted to tease Tatsumi with such thoughts of if she actually had such ambitions. Desiring to see him squirm, and protest against her wishes for once. "That's crazy, the Empire would be crazy to accept you as their Empress, you know that yourself!"

"Whilst that's true, Tatsumi. I am currently the strongest person in the Empire, thus naturally, I should be allowed to rule." Tatsumi's expression became even more disturbed, as Esdeath's sense of values were spoke of by the woman herself. He still couldn't stand that about her that she, who had been gifted with tremendous power opted to use it for selfish, evil acts. "Do you really think that's right, Esdeath? You'd be going against your biggest ally's back, the Prime Minister to achieve such... Even you wouldn't do that, I know you too well."

Esdeath tilted her head, and mockingly assumed a thinking pose as she kept Tatsumi firmly against the bed with her thighs. "I might do, if he betrays me. I've made it clear as crystal, that if he so much as tries to harm you then I'd come knocking at his door. For now we're allies, but if anything changes the status quo then all bets are off."

"All bets, eh? Isn't that exciting to think about, that at any moment in time... The Empire might implode on itself because he dedicated to have my executed, for whatever reason. I'll admit, it's pretty comforting to know that you'd go so far for me." Tatsumi ended his words, with one notable weak smile.

"Don't be silly, of course I would. I promised that nobody would so much as a lay one finger on you, your fate is mine to decide." Rubbing her nails against her uniform, Esdeath slowly began moving her pelvis against Tatsumi's own. "Speaking of which, where is Makoto? I haven't seen him all day."

"He wanted to take some time away from the Capital... I've allowed him such, with trained guards and escorts." Esdeath lied, even if she wanted to tell Tatsumi what really had happened, she wasn't ready for that yet. "Wait, you let him leave? Why, didn't you want to keep him here? What made you change your mind."

"I have allowed him to travel away from the Capital before, Tatsumi. Things have changed since you were last aware of things." Esdeath replied, deciding to change the topic of the conversation through her bodily motions.

Esdeath began rocking forwards even more, then backwards to excite him. Hoping to distract him enough to become intimate with her once again, but this time, Tatsumi was fully aware of his actions and unclouded by lust. His hands came unto her thighs, trying to halt her by pressing on them but that just make Esdeath's smile widen even more. "I'm not in the mood, Esdeath. Stop it."

"Oooh, just this once, please? I didn't get to ride you last time, Tatsumi." Esdeath leaned closer to Tatsumi, wearing a depraved grin. In response to this, Tatsumi merely looked away as her grin turned into a frown. "You're no fun, my love. I'm only trying to provide a outlet for your own pent up feelings, that's all."

Huffing at his refusal, Esdeath moved herself from him. Sitting beside the bed once again, Tatsumi was visibly relieved at such as he had deep regrets about succumbing to his instincts at the night prior. But then Esdeath revealed one of her trump cards, grinning widely once more as she playfully spoke up. "Now, take off your clothes... If I can't rile you up in the bedroom, then we must simply take a bath together instead."

"No way, you can't overwhelm me that easily." Tatsumi, sitting up, shook his head as Esdeath soon lunged directly at him to his surprise. Picking him up in her arms, as she made her way to the bathroom. Happily humming to herself as Tatsumi continued to struggle against her. "Hey, hey! Are you deaf, Esdeath? I said I don't wanna take a bath! I can have one on my own, without you!"

"Tsk tsk, we can save water this way. Think on the environment, Tatsumi. This is the eco-friendly alternative, isn't that right?" Smiling happily, Esdeath entered inside her sizable bathroom. It'd contain, one bathtub large enough for three people. A set of showers, along with cabinets for towels and various other toiletries along with a toilet itself. Makoto's room contained a smaller washroom for his own personal use, so he didn't need to use his parents in their bedroom, every time he wanted to use it.

Kicking the door closed with her boot, Esdeath froze the handle solid as she gently let Tatsumi down. Licking her lips, as she began removing her clothes. Her cap first, then she began removing the rest. Until Esdeath was only wearing her bra and panties, grinning widely at Tatsumi whom slowly removed his shirt. His jacket having been removed back in the bedroom. "That's a good boy, why don't you begin heating up the water? I'll be right behind you."

Sighing heavily, Tatsumi walked towards the bathtub. Intending to turn the hot water tap on, only to receive one hard firm spank across the rear from Esdeath herself. "Ack, hey! Why'd you do that...!" Tatsumi yelled, as he spun around. Partly wishing he hadn't, since Esdeath was now fully nude. Holding her underwear in her hands, casually tossing them directly unto Tatsumi's face as the defiant Assassin threw them off as quickly as they were thrown to him. "Ugh, you're so frustrating sometimes, Esdeath. Don't do that again, I'm warning you."

"Warning me, how adorable. Same to you, cute stuff. Now, weren't you working on the bathtub? Get to it, now." Tatsumi, albeit extremely reluctantly turned around as he twisted the hot water tap on, letting the warm water pour into the wide bathtub. Placing the plug into the hole. Right on cue, Esdeath pulled Tatsumi's trousers straight from his waist and down to his ankles. Immediately wrapping herself around him with her hands from behind him, letting them fall lower and lower down his chest until they were resting on the elastic of his briefs.

"...Who does this belong to, my mate?" Esdeath's heated breath hit against Tatsumi's ears, for once Tatsumi knew that she didn't mean himself specifically but what she was resting herself near. Realizing that defiance wouldn't help him, but cause him pain. Tatsumi begrudgingly played along with her desires. "It's... Yours, Esdeath. It's yours..."

"Just be gentle, no nails, ok?"

"Aaah, you're so well behaved... I'm really glad, Tatsumi. Don't worry, I'll be ever so gentle, you have my word." She whispered, slowly, sensually and incredibly seductively.

Drawing immense satisfaction at his submission, Esdeath rewarded that cuteness by slowly sliding his underwear down from his waist, soon as it came low enough. She used her foot to pull it from him completely. Immediately using her left hand to take ahold of his, now, erect member. Stroking it as Tatsumi was forced to stay completely still and silent, unwilling to let Esdeath realize she was getting to him. "What're you... We were just taking a bath, you promised."

"I didn't promise anything at all, Tatsumi. You merely got mixed up, we are taking a bath but there's nothing stopping me from claiming my rights as soon as we're in the bath. The bathwater should make it easier on your body, so they'll be nothing stopping me from wringing your balls dry." The sound of the water flowing and filling the tub didn't stop Esdeath's words from being heard, as she compressed her breasts against the back of her man. "Come on, you can't be serious... Just let me wash myself normally. Stop playing around, Esdeath."

"I'm entirely serious, Tatsumi... Oh, so very serious, indeed." Being faced away from her front, Tatsumi was fortunately unable to see the devious hungry smile on his lover's face. But not fortunate enough to avoid being her target, the door was frozen shut. Tatsumi had foolishly wandered into the waiting trap, and now had been stripped naked. The heat rising from the water caused them both to draw heavy breaths, perfectly setting the mood. Esdeath's hands were locked around him, refusing him escape.

Esdeath had once again won, and whomever won rightfully earnt the privilege to do as they pleased.

More importantly, whatever they pleased.

 **Ok, so maybe I lied abit. There is SOME plot in this, but most of it is just addressing the issue of Esdeath finally digging her claws into Tatsumi. Now, I know you'll be probably upset that Tatsumi's anger seemed abit fiery, only to die down when it came to the first scenes but I imagine that Tatsumi's anger would have gradually mellowed down into sadness, and that would make way for loneliness allowing Esdeath to capitalize on that.**

 **So trust me, that scene isn't really supposed to make sense but to just show that Esdeath is willing to take whatever chance she can get with Tatsumi.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will be in six or so days, as usual join the discord for better more frequent updates to that and I will be updating the chapter for spelling corrections and lore corrections, but I have checked and proof read it abit already anyway.**

 **Make sure to review what you thought, especially as I'm not 100% confident in my ability to write lemon, so there's always that. When my confidence proves, they'll probably be more of it. xd**

 **Just don't worry, I don't want to drown the plot out, but that's what the extra chapters are for! Thanks!**

 **P.S: Thank you so much Tywil714 for the shoutout on Reddit, I was so worth making a account on it just to thank you ^^**


	24. Chapter 24 - Mate or Perish

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **Yeah, I hit that deadline excellently!- Ok, I'm joking ofc ofc. Apologies for the deadline, I've got my explanations in the A.N. Enjoy!**

Thanks to a combination of Night Raid's assistance, tactical planning and the element of surprise. The Revolutionary Army were able to overwhelm and take the Walled City of Fallhaven from Imperial Control within' one day. As no Teigu users were present on the Empire's side, they suffered the most in terms of casualties. They couldn't celebrate, however.

Realizing that it'll be mere weeks, or even days before they'd be discovered by the greater Empire. The Revolutionaries immediately got to work enacting their plan, even if they knew that this battle would surely be one of their last. They had a escape route prepared for the survivors regardless. Located in the basement of Lord's Tower at the middle of the city, a secret underground passageway that had been built by the Feudal Lord for emergency use, it's exit would be located in the grassy plains miles away from Fallhaven.

As expected, they dug down deep into Fallhaven. Making good usage of it's supplies and resources to bolster themselves up for the oncoming battle. Knowing the enemy would try and encircle them, to prevent escape. They positioned themselves around the walls of the city, using it's cannon emplacements to maximum effect. Using the city's forges to produce weapons and armor to protect themselves against the Empire's superior armament. Everyone was expected to work, aside some select few.

Sadly, not everyone had evacuated from the city as ordered by the Feudal Lord. The city was partly filled with no less than five hundred civilians that simply refused to leave from their homes. The elderly, young and middle-aged alike. The Revolutionary Army had done everything they could to convince them of the danger that would take place at anytime, but they merely brushed away concerns and took about their business. More annoyed they couldn't stop by the local market, as it had been closed due to it's owners leaving with haste.

The stubborn behavior shown by the residents was most likely, due to Fallhaven's relative unimportant status to the rest of the Empire. They had never seen conflict, nor what the Teigu weapons that were widely feared could do.

Meanwhile, in the Lord's Tower.

The Revolutionary Army's Leaders had been discussing between themselves for hours, days after days since they arrived whether to justify using their Teigu Trained forces in the battle ahead. Whilst it'd grant a much easier advantage for them, it still wouldn't ensure victory. They knew that they weren't going to win this battle without a miracle, but they didn't want to risk losing the Teigu to the Empire by betting their hopes and lives on that. Even if they used every last Teigu they had, they were largely outnumbered even then.

The sole exception to this rule were Night Raid, Akame and Leone whilst hesitant, eventually opted to take part in this final stand. Mainly from obligation, and out of respect for Najenda. They were confident in the escape plan's success, and intended to stall the Imperial Forces long enough to ensure everyone that could escaped from the conflict before they themselves did. They kept quiet about this, but they suspected that it'd be Esdeath leading the charge thus saw this as their best chance to defeat the Ice Queen.

They knew that if they could land one blow on the Ice Queen with Murasame, then they could turn the entire tide of the hellish war and reignite hope into the oppressed people.

It'd go without saying that the Revolutionaries had struck luck, considering Fallhaven was naturally a Walled Fortress City. Meaning that it'd already have defenses against invasion as apart of it's original structure. The city itself was vastly more smaller than the similarly walled Capital. Instead shaped like a square, with watchtowers on each of it's corners. Now manned by Revolutionary Army members, instead of the City Guards. The City Guards had been ordered to escort the refugees to one of the nearby cities but few lingered behind to assist their Rebel comrades in the conflict. Fully aware of the hopelessness that they were saddled with.

For now, Akame and Leone were operating with scout teams of Revolutionaries to cut down any wandering Imperial Patrols that came close to the city. They needed all of the time they could get, and if they were discovered earlier than they needed to be then it'd be over before the real battle began. Thankfully, they only encountered small groups of scouts and couriers. So no losses on the Revolutionary side were had, as long as they were escorted by either Leone or Akame. Even if they were the ones to force the Leader of the Revolutionary Army's hand into disbanding the rebellion, this act did little to tarnish their otherwise legendary reputation within' the Army.

Naturally, some were bitter about needing to disband whilst others were thankful as their families wouldn't need to worry anymore. The Revolutionary Army had brilliant forgery networks at it's disposal, meaning some of the former Revolutionaries would be able to acquire work in the Capital as long as they weren't widely infamous like Night Raid's membership. For now, all that the Revolutionary Army could do was wait, wait and recall the majority of it's forces that hadn't already gone into hiding to Fallhaven.

Inside Esdeath's washroom, the person in question was already enjoying what she had won. Passionately kissing her Tatsumi strongly on the mouth, so much that it'd look like she was devouring him with her lusty kiss. Tatsumi however was utterly confused, even if they hadn't gone as far as they usually did in the bedroom, they had sex just yesterday night. And now she wanted him again, which unknown to Tatsumi was because she had once again gotten utterly hooked on his touch.

The Ice Queen was radiating one powerful carnivorous aura, forcing Tatsumi's afraid mind to decide between submission or swift retreat. Choosing submission, as retreat was impossible and trying to escape would only invoke bitter vengeful anger in his partner's mind. Tatsumi returned the kisses as much as he could, which mind you, wasn't all that possible either. Overtaken by her intense desire to have him inside her depths, Esdeath pressed herself harder against her Tatsumi from the front.

The bathtub's hot water tap had been going for a while, it hadn't completely filled up due to the size of the bathtub but it'd be relatively close to completion. Then suddenly, Esdeath let go of Tatsumi and twisted the tap hard enough for it to cease flowing water from it's spout. Not even bothering to turn the cold water tap, as she merely waved a hand over the bath to cool it down to a comfortable temperature. Steam arose from the tub, fogging the mirrors and surfaces in the washroom.

Watching her back as she were faced away from him, and trying to avert his eyes from Esdeath's curvy hips and her supple wide butt. Tatsumi turned to the side, as his hand was immediately taken ahold of before being pulled straight into the bathtub. Esdeath herself stepped in at the same time, having complete control over Tatsumi's direction and his body's position. Esdeath choose to sit against the back of the tub, leaning against it with Tatsumi on her lap. Gently stroking him on the head, snaking her arms around him as he could feel her breasts rub along his back.

"Isn't this wonderful, Tatsumi...? We did this so many times, when you were asleep." Esdeath spoke slowly, enjoying sensation of the warm water combined with Tatsumi's flesh on her pale skin. "Wait, what? You bathed with me, when I was in my coma?" Tatsumi questioned, partly disturbed.

"Of course, you didn't expect I'd let the attendants wash you, nobody else should see you fully naked... Aside me." Esdeath possessively whispered, sliding her tongue roughly against Tatsumi's left ear as she nuzzled him. She intertwined their legs, letting one of her hands massage her boy's abs. "Yeah, but that's what they're paid to do... Didn't you have more important duties to do, like Military Inspections and oppressing the innocent?"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Esdeath scoffed, strongly pulling Tatsumi harder against her as he pulled away abit from instinct. Partly amused by his refusal to accept her desire to be intimate with him, but also very annoyed and irritated by it. To punish him, Esdeath swiftly shoved Tatsumi's head and body into the water to submerge him. Keeping him down, as he immediately tried to fight back and struggle. Letting his arms wildly swing everywhere, instinctively trying to find something fixed to the wall to pull himself up with. Tatsumi only managing to lift himself up, once or twice to shout words of defiance before being pushed back down. "Esde- Mhhmp-Stop! Stop it!"

"Nu-uh~ If you continue to pull away from me, then I'll need to teach you who's incharge!" Esdeath shouted back with vigor and giddiness, largely enjoying her control over the much weaker Tatsumi as she eventually allowed him to resurface back up. Taking one heavy deep sigh of pleasure, as she looked at Tatsumi's dazed soaked and wet head. Some of her sadistic urges satisfied for the moment. Tatsumi on the other hand merely coughed and choked, taking several breathes of air afterwards. Quickly rubbing his eyes, as he hadn't closed them in time to avoid getting water in them. "Kuk-Ugh, you're crazy. Don't do that again, Esdeath."

"Ahh...Kuk.." He spluttered out.

"Is trying to kill me, drown me underwater, one of your many ways of showing your love for me? If so, I'd like to take back my investment of love, and request to be reimbursed for my wasted time with you." Tatsumi sarcastically stated, leaning more heavily into Esdeath now as she wanted, primarily due to the fact he hadn't recovered yet from almost being drowned. "You're one very silly boy, Tatsumi. I was only punishing you for your repeated refusal to embrace your expected role."

"You need a scolding from your better half, every now and then."

"If that's punishment, then I dread to fear what'll happen when I really piss you off." Tatsumi nonchalantly stated. Looking to the various shampoo and conditioner on the side of the tub, Esdeath usually required one entire bottle of Shampoo and Conditioner respectively to wash her hair due to it's tremendous length. "And that fear will keep you in line, Tatsumi. Besides, I enjoy being the one whom gives, and you will eventually love being on the receiving end."

"Eventually, eventually." Tatsumi noted unconvinced, as Esdeath's hand soon begun traveling far lower than before. Noticing this, his hand took ahold of Esdeath's wrist to prevent her from going further. She halted, but only because Tatsumi's own hand not because he had the power to stop her. Using her other to press him closer into her body, she seductively whispered into his ear. "Such a shy boy, aren't you? But there's no need to be, Tatsumi."

"I've already seen every, last, part of you."

"Aah... Enough already, Esdeath. I want to enjoy this bath in peace."

Then, one awfully sinister idea sprung to Esdeath's mind.

"How is the water, Tatsumi? Doesn't it feel good on your muscles, does put your delicate hurt body at ease?" Esdeath continued to whisper into him, as Tatsumi tried to keep his thoughts innocent and clean. Unable to keep them truly child friendly, as Esdeath's breasts felt heavenly on his back. Quietly groaning in his struggle, Esdeath's hand finally took grip of her man's erect length, squeezing it roughly in her hand. "Come on... We did it only yesterday, you still aren't pent up, are you?"

"You're foolish, if you believe one basic session was enough to equal one whole agonizing month. I will never be satisfied from just foreplay, Tatsumi." Sweeping Tatsumi's hair back with one stroke of her hand, Esdeath took one of the bottles on the side, Tatsumi's shampoo then poured it directly unto the hand that previously held his private area in it's grasp. Rubbing them together as she happily began striding her fingers through her lover's hair. Taking care to ensure that she got every last strand of his heavenly cute brown hair up in it's gel, upon completing the action. Esdeath's tone immediately became commanding and serious.

"Lean forwards, close your eyes. Tightly, and don't open them else this'll hurt." Pressing her hand unto his back to assist in positioning him properly, Esdeath used the bowl on the side of the bath to scoop up some of the hot water before pouring it directly unto Tatsumi's head. "There, there. That's it. That's a good boy."

"Could you be less embarrassing, please?" He muttered through clenched teeth.

Closing his eyes as much as he could, Tatsumi tried to ignore Esdeath's blush invoking words to focus on keeping his eyes shut to avoid stinging them. Successful in that, Esdeath wiped away some of the suds that were resting on his head. She pulled Tatsumi close, kissing the back of his wet head to congratulate him. Sniffling him, as usual after. Then within' seconds, Esdeath began work on her own hair. Scooping it's mass in her hand to place onto the top of her hair together in one large bundle, then applying her own shampoo and conditioner. Using the entire bottle, with one hard squeeze as she applied it to her hair.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi moved his thoughts elsewhere, thinking on his next actions in the future.

Humming sweetly to herself as she stroked Tatsumi's leg with her own, Esdeath finished herself off by pouring water on herself. Unsatisfied with the first attempt, she tried it three more times until she had successfully cleaned herself off the shampoo. Now wet and washed up nicely like Tatsumi, Esdeath decided that she had messed about, long enough. The primary purpose of the bathtub had ended, and now only served as the nice warm spot for their mating session.

"Now, why don't we cuddle, Tatsumi~? I'll be gentle, I promise." Knocking Tatsumi from his deep thoughts with her ominous words, Esdeath began pressing on the intimate assault. Clearly intending to quell the growing hunger inside herself. Feeling the carnivorous aura arise back in his lover, Tatsumi braced himself once again as her hands came over him. Then, quickly and unrelentingly fast, Esdeath spun him over on his back. Splashing the water in the tub everywhere, as she shifted herself closer unto him. "Esdeath-! You said you'd be gentle, I can't even...!"

"Oh, shush... Why don't you shut up and just leave the talking to me." Esdeath strongly commanded, drilling her gaze into him.

Compressing her breasts on his chest, Esdeath's hand took firm hold of her mate's length once again. Leaning over him, keeping her legs kneeling directly beside his own so that they were kept together. With one hard movement, Esdeath successfully mounted herself on Tatsumi, groaning heavily with excited bared teeth as she swallowed him up. Tatsumi was forced to lean further back against the tub, panting hard from the tight deep connection and the heat from the water. Acting on instinct, he placed his hands unto Esdeath's hips, trying to hold unto something to avoid slipping into the water. "Ooh, yes...The long awaited day has finally come, you are back where you belong again, Tatsumi."

"Aah...Haa..."

"I won't allow myself to go without you... For that long ever again, Tatsumi." Esdeath dreamily spoke, embracing her love close. "Now, why don't we get busy? We've got alot of catching up to do, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi usually would've replied, but he decided to take Esdeath's advice in letting her speak thus stayed quiet as he could. Enjoying the blissful feeling of the embrace they shared, Esdeath hadn't moved yet nor even begun putting him deeper inside herself as usual. Instead, opting to soak up every last drop of the wonderful sensation that was feeling him throb inside her neithers. Sliding her hands up to Tatsumi's head, and back. Esdeath used the two parts of him that she held to force his face into hers, licking across his lips to demand entrance. Eventually, Tatsumi reluctantly opened his mouth wide to allow her inside, which Esdeath swiftly took advantage of by passionately kissing him.

The tremendous force of the kiss, and Esdeath's tongue practically hurling itself inside his mouth. Almost made Tatsumi gag from the act, trying to return it as much as he could. Esdeath soon stopped, letting her head fall into the crook of Tatsumi's neck. The wound had healed nicely, so the bandage had been removed prior. Nibbling on it, gently. "I feel so mean, Tatsumi... So very naughty. You see, I've washed you nicely but now, I only want to dirty you up."

"Aah...Easy, easy." Tatsumi murmured through his moans, as she continued to bite him aggressively. Drawing no blood yet, but leaving red noticeable markings on him. Fully intending to leave evidence of her presence on his body, spurned from the possessive urges inside her. Then Esdeath began to claw Tatsumi's back, way harder than her bites. The hard intensity soon caused blood, which slightly tainted the previously clear shampoo water with partial crimson. Enjoying the sight of it, Esdeath's bites progressed forwards in their own intensity. Now causing slightly more noticeable and more long-lasting marks on her love.

Naturally, Tatsumi tried to pull away from her bites. Withdrawing as she held him close, preventing escape nor respite from the biting assault. In one last ditch hope to sway her from biting him, Tatsumi took the initiative and moved his hips upward, thrusting hard and deep. Surprising Esdeath to the point, she released a pleasured gasp in response to it without having the time to reel in her composure.

"That... Was abit out of line, Tatsumi. I'm the one who leads, you know that by now." Esdeath drew a hard gasp at Tatsumi's suddenness. Shocked, but also very pleasantly pleased at him showing eagerness. Esdeath rewarded it by ceasing her harsh behavior with him, leaning upwards to sit properly on his waist. Overlapping their hands, before intertwining their fingers together. Exchanging eye contact, Esdeath's giddy loving smile soon became very perverse and foreboding. With their fingers linked, Esdeath began to properly move herself on him. "Aah-Hmmph. What do you expect, when you keep trying to eat me!"

"Eat you, Tatsumi...? Is that what you think I'm doing, hm?" Esdeath grinned mockingly, continuing to move herself on him. "I don't advocate the practice of cannibalism, regardless of what you think or believe. When I mark you with my bites and my nails, it's about sending a message."

"I can trade that harshness that for more permanent means of dominance, if you so desire." Naturally, Esdeath's tone and gestures became equally ominous. Circling her left index fingertip across Tatsumi's chest, separating their fingers union temporarily to demonstrate her point. Tatsumi shyed away, causing Esdeath's hand to turn his head back to her own. "Tell me, do you want that?"

"You know some female insects, usually end up devouring their breeding partner post coitus... The much larger and deadlier females, Tatsumi."

"No... Of course not, I'd be crazy too. I'm starting to understand why're you do what you do, Esdeath." Tatsumi groaned out, literally being tortured by the sheer tightness of Esdeath's insides as she squeezed herself more on him. Waiting one whole month for him, accidentally had the averse affect of causing Esdeath's inners to be incredibly tense. "Really, now? How cute. Some of my pets have killed each other for the chance to be branded, Tatsumi."

"Yes, Pets. Poor bastards broken enough by torture that they can't even think straight, Esdeath!" Tatsumi yelled through clenched teeth, trying to lift himself up in defiance, only to be met by Esdeath's palm pushing him back down at the chest. Water splashing everywhere. "Do you really think so badly of me, Tatsumi. I didn't torture all of them..."

"Yet, that is. There's one or two, that I simply haven't had proper time to dedicate my skillset to." Fully confident in herself and her practices, Esdeath hardly bothered to shy away from herself and what she loved doing. The sole exception was Tatsumi, but even then she didn't completely neuter what she was to him. That would be same as submission, and it was Tatsumi's role to act submissively. "You're evil, twisted and cruel... How can you be so happy with yourself?"

"Tsk tsk, what did I tell you about talking badly about me? You should be nicer, Tatsumi." Esdeath added, decisively swapping the bitter topic over as to avoid souring the intimate mood. Successful, as Tatsumi stopped trying to fight back and soon gave up, looking away from her. Esdeath happily resumed moving her hips upwards and downwards on her love's erect length, his own frustrated aggravated feelings having little to no effect on the liveliness of his member. Esdeath kept her hands fixed to Tatsumi's own hips, sending even him deeper inside her.

" Come on, just like that. Plow every last bit of your love into me, Tatsumi." She egged him on, trying to rile him up further.

Holding unto him, Esdeath equally increased the pressure of her thighs around him. Locking him in place, hard enough to ensure that he wouldn't slip away. Noticing this, Tatsumi's hands that were placed on her hips left their position and instinctively came strongly unto her bouncing large breasts. Squeezing hard as he could, Tatsumi just needed to release some of his annoyance at Esdeath in any way that he could, annoyance and lust. Unfortunately for him, Esdeath only clamped down on Tatsumi way more harder than she had done before. Creating one vicious cycle as in return for that, Tatsumi's hands compressed further against the mesmerizing pair of tits infront of him.

"That's it, Tatsumi. I want more, so much more! I've got your weak points memorized, so don't even think about stopping now." She hissed with predatory undertones, fully intending to wring Tatsumi dry as she had previously vowed prior. Tatsumi on the otherhand, was trying his best to avoid being overwhelmed completely by Esdeath's intense pace. The heat of the water made it impossible for him to hold back entirely, as blood was rushing straight to his head. Making him all sorts of dizzy and dazed. "S-Slow down, already! This isn't gentle...! Gentle! This is the exact opposite of what gentle means, Esdeath!"

"If you conti-I won't be able to hold-Aah..." Tatsumi loudly gasped. He was surprised that he didn't immediately blow his load, soon as he entered inside Esdeath, considering the extreme sensitivity of his member.

"Well, it isn't any fun unless there's some struggle from you, Tatsumi." Esdeath happily stated, nonchalantly as if she really wasn't currently slamming herself against her lover's painfully erect member with the crazed flushed crimson expression that she wore openly to him. Surprisingly, moments later after she spoke, Esdeath began slowing down. Now just grinding herself against Tatsumi, looming over him once again to slide her tongue across his cheek. Getting in close, breathing him in deeply through the nose and catching the tiny droplets of sweat falling from his barely dry forehead with her tongue afterwards. "Are you satisfied, have you finally had enough?"

"You know full well that I'll never not want you, Tatsumi. Don't be silly." She kept at it, speaking between separate licks as Tatsumi merely took it. Catching his breath, having stopped the hard thrusting motions that he had been making for minutes on end. Sadly, they'd be no escape for Tatsumi since Esdeath's folds weren't letting him go and instead kept compressing against the part of him that was inside her. Instinctively trying to force him to climax. "...I'm merely just savoring what I've won, my love. And you are so very delicious, Tatsumi."

"As you've possessively stated, time and time again." Tatsumi mumbled, he felt incredibly heavy and ragged. "Even if you've impressed me by lasting as long as you have, in such warm conditions... It's time you resigned yourself to me, Tatsumi."

By warm, it'd be fairly clear that Esdeath wasn't implying about the water but that of the warmth that came from being swallowed up by her.

"So, how would you like to make some beautiful babies, my darling? Why don't we have a girl this time, Tatsumi." Completely serious in her tone, Esdeath adjusted her position so that she was back sitting on Tatsumi's thighs, pinning him down as he panicked and tried to pull away. Squeezing him hard, Tatsumi's hands pushed against Esdeath in his attempts to stop her from going any further. "Wha-What're you saying, Esdeath?! Not this again, I've already made myself clear on this...! The Empire isn't-"

"Listen, I'm not ready for that, and neither are you! You've said so yourself, Esdeath!"

"Why are you so adverse, Tatsumi? When you've already released yourself inside me... So many times before, it was always meant to be this way." Fixing herself properly in this position, Esdeath could practically feel Tatsumi's hard tip prodding and kissing the entrance of her womb excitedly as it descended to meet him. This only pushed her further into embracing her desires whilst Tatsumi tried to pull himself away. "You probably would've knocked me up several times before, if I hadn't stopped you. So, just accept it and give yourself over to me."

"Aaah...Aah..." Tortured by Esdeath's words, and the obviously rough intercourse they were having.

"It's my ovulation day, and I've just about endured the tiresome headaches amongst other hormonal unpleasant things. My body knows what it wants, and it's not escaping now. I won't let it torture me by denying it what it craves anymore." By the cold bitterness in her voice, Tatsumi knew that she felt very negatively about this.

"You... You never said anything about that, Esdeath! How was I supposed to know about- Agh!" Tatsumi tried once more, only to receive one firm slam of Esdeath's hips pushing down unto him. She hadn't been moving to allow them both to regain their breathes, but that wasn't opportunity for Tatsumi to rest by any case. Even when she was merely pressing on him, Esdeath's folds lovingly squeezed him with their tightness and that was unbearable for Tatsumi. "I'll... I'll do anything, just let me pull out!"

"Tempting, but no."

"Wha...What?"

Esdeath didn't seem likely to agree to Tatsumi's request. Considering that she had already strongly affirmed her position as the future mother of his spawn. Unlike Dr. Stylish, whom already tampered around with genetics and the art of producing terrifyingly dangerous creatures through scientific crossbreeding and other morally dubious means, Esdeath wasn't interested in the finer details like dominant genes and recessive genes. She wasn't interested in finding the exact reason why Makoto looked as he did, or why certain features of Tatsumi shined through whilst others were overtaken by her own likeness. In actuality, all that really mattered to Esdeath was that she could procreate with Tatsumi.

As long as they were able to produce heirs between themselves, that's all that she wanted from him in regard. Esdeath wasn't largely bothered on her children being born weaker than herself either way, since she knew that any child with Tatsumi would be gifted with tremendous potential despite of their ability. What truly mattered to Esdeath was that she herself was strong enough to protect her children. It'd go without saying that every last one of her babies were destined to be warriors and fighters, but she wasn't entirely fussed if some wanted to pursue other careers as long as they kept their skills sharp.

They were Tatsumi's children, too. And she knew that Tatsumi didn't dedicate everything to fighting and warfare, he was a lover too.

She had realized that Makoto wasn't entirely focused on combat in terms of interest, even if he was very skilled with it. Diving into books, and learning to play games whenever possible. Unknown to Esdeath, Makoto just wanted to broaden his list of activities and interests so he could bond with his Dad over them. He had learnt enough about fighting to be satisfied with it for now thus wanted to learn other things to avoid being too simplistic and one-track minded.

In short, he wanted to become more like his Father as only Esdeath had been able to influence him, due to serving as his only parental guardian in his time.

Back to the ongoing intimacy, Esdeath ensured that Tatsumi's refusals wouldn't be given time to affect her by restarting her steady pace. Grinding strongly against her beloved's hips with her own, Tatsumi could only helplessly struggle, squirm and demand to be freed. As usual, Esdeath focused on herself and ignored her lover's protests. She had done so before, and she would do so now. She had waited patiently for this, and nothing in the world would stop her from getting what she wanted.

Like everything else, she'd take it without reservation.

That is without saying that, Esdeath was keenly aware that Tatsumi was enjoying himself in this situation. His protests merely served as means to save his dignity, pretending to hate everything that Esdeath gave him to ensure that he wouldn't be consumed by his own instinctual urges. One of the greatest joys that kept Esdeath always coming back for more when it came to her lover was the glimpses of Tatsumi's darker true self beneath the surface. Hiding the cracks, and naturally Esdeath wanted to pull that persona to the surface so that she may see it entirely for herself.

If only she could convince Tatsumi that holding back, restraining himself from what he wanted... What, Tatsumi's instincts wanted, wasn't healthy for him.

But yet again, Tatsumi kept refusing to even consider that he wasn't what he thought himself to be. Esdeath knew that if she didn't draw the line in the sand when it came to her mate's disobedience then eventually, it would cost her greatly. She didn't like punishing him, or remanding him for going against her word and orders but she had to do it. Above all else, Esdeath was fair and just... Least, to Tatsumi.

Anyone else that wasn't linked to him was hostage to her whims, you could have served her for years and find your head stuck to the pike outside the Capital's walls. Simply because you decided to foolishly make a pass on your Commander's risque outfit to your comrades in the barracks, that she ended up overhearing in her afternoon walks.

"You heard me, I want your seed and I always get what I crave in the end. I plan for no less than five children with you, Tatsumi. My future self only managed one with you, and that is just unacceptable. Such wasted beautiful potential, darling. The world doesn't have enough people like _us_ in it, but that'll change..." Once again, Esdeath stopped her hard hip movements. Clearly spurned by Tatsumi's confused state of mind, when she saw everything clearly herself. Tilting her head over to him, lovingly observing the blushing red expression on her man. Esdeath allowed him to speak, leaning closer towards him intentionally whilst letting her heaving breasts rest on his torso.

"...Five kids, you can't be serious. Quit playing around, you've got responsibilities, And... Ugh, it's fundamentally screwed up, if you think you can balance that." Tatsumi could only marvel at Esdeath's ever-increasing obsession, when he believed that she had reached her peak with him. It leapt and excelled to further heights, leaving him awestruck and more importantly, absolutely goddamn terrified. Normal couples that desired children, usually peaked at two or three kids. Four would be the maximum, but nowhere near five. Even if Esdeath and Tatsumi weren't what you'd define as a normal couple, and even if Esdeath had the entire nation under her thumb at the moment.

So, why did she suddenly want five kids? Tatsumi couldn't wrap his head around that, unaware that Esdeath sought to correct the future's foretold bleak misery and ensure that she got what she wanted. A happy family, with herself as it's head. Now that she knew what would transpire, thanks to her boy's warnings. General Esdeath's swift elimination of her enemies was only the beginning and when they were killed off then she could begin writing her own renewed future.

"They'll be our responsibility, Tatsumi. Parenting is best done with both parents involved, I won't shoulder the burden alone." Esdeath replied, nonchalantly. Staring into the green eyes that she was utterly seduced by. "The other me wasn't that lucky, she was left a widow and forced to raise her Son alone in the cold, unfeeling winter that she surrounded herself with. All I need is your warmth."

"A sad existence, but that won't be ours. It _won't_ be mine." Esdeath drew one hard frustrated breath with her nostrils flaring up, but that wasn't from the rhythmic throbbing that she felt inside her folds. It was anger that boiled, plain and simple. The mere thought of the future that awaited her originally, was enough to sour any positive mood that she had. It wasn't right, it was just cruel. To successfully bend Tatsumi to her ways, bind him completely to her love then to have him pulled away from her forever.

General Tatsumi, just the sound of that made her heart flutter and swoon.

She loved Makoto greatly, so much that painful knots tore away at her whenever he refused to love her like she loved him. He was her Son and rightful heir, her baby boy, but even then Esdeath knew that deep down inside herself. Tatsumi was the most important person in her life, full stop. Make no mistake, the Ice Queen only had so much room in her cold heart for love, before she had nobody that she considered to be deserving of it until Tatsumi came along and changed that.

Without him, everything defaulted to the way that it was before. Factory reset, but with all her memories of what she had intact. The loss of her giddy happiness. So, lifeless... Unfulfilling, tiresome, boring, plain and intolerable. The capacity for love, came and would die forever with Tatsumi. Leaving so little love to spare for her son, so without him. Esdeath couldn't enjoy life as she did now, her ability to behave like a Mother would falter.

Which was true, Makoto noted stark difference between his Mother in the future and the Esdeath that he saw before him.

It was that she were naturally happy, not forcing herself to be for him.

With one final slam of her waist, Tatsumi finally came upon losing the war with himself and his bodily needs. Yet again, his month coma naturally worked wonders for the amount that he released. Practically flooding Esdeath's insides with his seed. Esdeath eagerly accepted everything inside herself as she compressed unto him, her own shivering climax arriving soon afterwards. She refused to let him go, keeping them intertwined until both of their moments passed and even past that point. Tatsumi soon felt himself sliding down the bathtub and into the water.

His body's strength had faded at his release, Esdeath whom had just finished her long pleasured moan was currently wearing one very satisfied grin. She had swept her hair back entirely, sitting upright and proud of herself. She broke from her elated state as soon as she noticed Tatsumi sinking into the bathtub, they had splashed water everywhere but it was still pretty deep, coming up to Esdeath's belly button in height as she sat on her mate.

Without breaking their intimate connection, Esdeath spun themselves around, so that Tatsumi was laying into her warmth. Being the larger body than her lover ensured that he wouldn't sink beneath the water anytime soon. Plus being dazed as he was, Tatsumi welcomed Esdeath's arms as they came over him. Stroking his hair and massaging his back, pushing his head in between her breasts. Surprisingly, to Tatsumi and Esdeath alike. The rod inside the Ice Queen's womanly depths hadn't calmed down, nor softened up.

Stirring the insides that they were trapped in.

Tatsumi was largely oblivious to this, simply drunk on the love that Esdeath had drugged him with. Panting heavily, and strung messily across her. But she wasn't so unaware of throbbing large presence that resided inside herself, Esdeath just wasn't expecting Tatsumi to be this lively. They usually went for multiple rounds, taking short breaks for Tatsumi's sake upon the conclusion of each session but not now. Esdeath's stamina and eagerness clearly surpassed Tatsumi's own, but Tatsumi had never been upset at that fact, clearly regarding it as something that was unavoidable yet now they seemed to be closer in that vein.

As if Tatsumi's body had infact gotten stronger from his ordeal. Esdeath was aware that Incursio could grow stronger and adapt to threats, evolving constantly to ensure that it wouldn't be overcome, but she wasn't aware that Tatsumi's own body was capable of this feat on it's own. Esdeath's nostrils flared up immediately, teeth bared into her trademark hungry grin. Instantly wrapping and tangling herself with Tatsumi, pulling her arms strongly over him. Overcome with pride in her mate and strong possessive feelings, burying her face directly into his soaked hair.

"Aaaah, what have you done to me? I used to be different, so very different."

"But you were just made for me, Tatsumi... How could you not be, when you continue to fill me with such indescribable feelings and sensations?" Esdeath's voice was practically dripping with lust, excitement and giddiness. She had already figured that if Tatsumi's body was capable of growing stronger when met with trauma and damage, then Makoto's body would be also gifted with that same trait. Esdeath had never experienced actual proper fear since her childhood, until she met Tatsumi.

He was one massive chain reaction in her previously simplistic life.

Just simply being with Tatsumi, opened up waves of new emotions that Esdeath hadn't felt before. So, naturally, she felt relief beyond measure when she realized that whenever trials Tatsumi and her children went through, they would be able to overcome them and arise stronger than ever before. This meant that she wouldn't need to constantly pull them from the dirt that they had fallen into, not that she wouldn't but this particular fact meant that she could avert her watching eyes from her babies without much worry.

"Not to mention that you've swayed my beating heart once more, Tatsumi." Esdeath began calming down from her heightened state of mind, as she had noticed that Tatsumi's soft murmurs had become agonized from the pressure that she put unto him. Loosing up her grip, but not yet releasing him. Esdeath pulled Tatsumi upwards, so that his head wasn't resting on her breasts but so that they were eye-level, accidentally causing him to shove himself deeper inside her as they were still intimately connected at the waist. Feeling her beloved mate's length hitting once again against the cervix of her vagina, inciting passionate hunger to arise for a second time.

"Are we... Done? I don't feel like..." Tatsumi spoke up, lifting himself partly up from Esdeath as he tried to keep eye contact. "We are not, Tatsumi. I'm not satisfied with just one round of fun, are you?"

"That's not fair. If we stay in the tub any longer then we'll be shriveled up, Esdeath." The water of the bathtub was gradually beginning to become cold, it wasn't unbearable as it was currently still lukewarm. Moderately hot.

"Tell you what, Tatsumi. We'll go for as long as the water is reasonably warm, is that fine by you?" Tatsumi figured that, since the water was already slightly cold in it's temperature then it'd be just a few minutes until even Esdeath couldn't stand to be in it herself. Despite Esdeath's fame as the Ice Queen, he knew that she was human and enjoyed a nice warm bath as much as anyone else did.

"I suppose, besides... The water's already growing cold, we won't be here much longer at this rate." Tatsumi replied somewhat happily, successfully regaining his composure and mentality from his previous overwhelmed state. But then, that same gleefulness was twisted and lost when Esdeath's foot pulled the bathub's plug from it's socket and allowed the water to drain.

The _cold_ water.

As such, Esdeath's sneaky foot directed itself to the hot water tap, twisting it slowly to allow it's liquid to funnel into the large bathtub. She kept eye contact with Tatsumi, the entire time of this. Grinning widely, keeping her arms firmly locked around him. Soaking in his cute worried expression in, licking her lips as she soon allowed the bathtub's plug back into it's proper place and spoke over the sounds of spilling water.

"Well, you'd think that... But life isn't always that simple, my adorable little Tatsumi. You need to prepare for the unexpected, especially when it involves me." Like always, Esdeath enjoyed knocking down Tatsumi's attempts at resistance and that showed in her proud tone of voice. What she couldn't understand is why Tatsumi continued to try and escape her relentless love, wasn't it so obvious by now that he'd always be on the losing side?

"...Esdeath, you can't be serious." Tatsumi muttered out, trying to come across as confident and not taken back by her previous actions but largely failed. He made the grave mistake of breaking eye contact with her and turning his head back to the tap behind him to watch it. His partner punished him for that by taking firm grip of his hair and redirecting his vision back in it's proper place. Licking him across the cheek with one hard stroke.

"I'm very serious, Tatsumi. And you shouldn't take your wonderful eyes off me, that's rude." Esdeath scolded harshly as she kept her hand fixed tight on him, but she didn't seem angry, just playful at the moment. Very, very playful.

" _Now, where were we?_ "

One additional hour had passed, before Esdeath left the bathroom. As she walked through the doorway that led into the bedroom, Esdeath wore one very satisfied and pleased grin. Filling fulfilled beyond words, her happiness was very visible on her face and in her bodily motions. Taking great care to avoid hitting Tatsumi's head in the door's narrow gap as she carried him in her arms, she bounced with every step. Esdeath had wrung Tatsumi dry as she originally intended to do, taking him once more in the bathtub, before having him yet again on the wet soaked floor near it.

Despite this, she washed him and scrubbed him clean with sponges and soap at the conclusion of their breeding session since Esdeath had intended to do that aswell, basic hygiene wasn't something that she'd disregard even when in her heated states.

"So very glad to be free from that bottled up stress, so very glad." She sighed, buzzing and joyous.

They were both completely in the nude, but dry and soapy clean. Esdeath took another deep sigh of delight, before moving to the King-Sized Bed. Gently laying Tatsumi down unto it, pulling a cloth from a nearby regal sofa in the room to lay it across him. Whilst Tatsumi was conscious, he didn't speak nor resist. Utterly spent from enduring Esdeath's pent up sexual frustration. Resting against the pillow on his side of the bed, being watched by Esdeath.

Looming over him, her hands fixed to the curvaceous hips that had been riding Tatsumi for the previous two hours, Esdeath drank the wondrous sight of Tatsumi's post-orgasm red bite-mark ridden body laying across the bed into herself. He looked so beautiful, cute and innocent. She adored the way that his brown hair messily blocked his eyesight and the way that Tatsumi's muscular chest flexed and relaxed whenever he took a deep breath. Everything about him, just made Esdeath want to covet and possess him more.

Staying still, as she observed him. Esdeath's hand gently came over her navel, stroking directly above her exposed areas. Suddenly, and unexpectedly to Esdeath, she found herself taking Tatsumi's strung out hand by the wrist and placing it unto her lower stomach. Tatsumi was largely oblivious to this, his eyes partly open yet also closed at the same time. Midway between sleep and awareness, but she eventually realized what drove her to perform this action.

Whilst, unknown to Tatsumi whom usually took whatever Esdeath said as factual, considering she wasn't somebody who often lied and usually stated her intentions outright without any hedging. Esdeath had just convinced Tatsumi of her desire to bare his children at this moment in time. Naturally, she would normally be averse to that. Considering neither Night Raid nor the Revolutionary Army were defeated, she wanted to ensure that she would be able to keep Tatsumi close by her side, even if he didn't feel the same way about that.

But, apart of the Ice Queen, legitimately wanted for her words to be truth. She'd never say it, but Esdeath was tremendously jealous of her counterpart's success at carrying Tatsumi's child inside her. And now that Esdeath had Tatsumi's seed in it's proper place in her womb, all that she would need to do is wait and then she'd have her own pride and joy in this timeline, too. Oh, how it pained Esdeath to be so torn about this.

Biting her lip, she begrudgingly conceded. Realizing that Night Raid's destruction was on the top of her priorities, and that Tatsumi still hadn't fully been swayed by her into abandoning his ties to them. It wasn't very smart to allow herself to become somewhat vulnerable when it wasn't guaranteed that Tatsumi would stay with her as she wanted him to. So, for now. Esdeath opted to decide herself to breaking down Tatsumi's resistance, destroying Night Raid and ensuring the bright future that she had planned for herself and her family.

But, then she realized exactly why she had opted to say what she did in the first place. Esdeath had almost lost Tatsumi by his own hand, no less than one day ago.

It was fear that drove her to do this, she thought. Fear that she may lose him sooner than what Makoto had said that she would, Esdeath's insecurity had horribly warped her desire to hold Tatsumi close, make love to him then continue as she usually would. Changing it into chaining himself to her through birthing his child, then smothering him in her love so that he'd never leave, and killing anyone that would dare to try and pull him away from her reach.

Closing her fists tightly, Esdeath had noticed that Tatsumi had begun to gather himself. Acting on instinct, she ran straight for him and pinned him back down on the bed. Looming over him, as she pressed her knees at his sides on the bed. Esdeath's hands beside her mate's shoulders.

"Be patient, Tatsumi. Soon, everyone that wants to threaten our love will be gone, I promise you that." Esdeath's voice seemed very restrained, as if she was going to lash out and mount him again but she didn't, instead she simply kept herself sitting over him. Watching him stay still.

"We'll make lots and lots of beautiful, healthy children. Just you wait, once everyone's dead and gone."

With that, Esdeath kissed Tatsumi strongly on the lips but it was just that. A kiss, not Esdeath's usual passionate kiss that always came with a tongue at the end. It wasn't lust that Esdeath was feeling for Tatsumi, she had done away with most of that in the bathroom so all that remained was insecurity and love. She hated feeling so helpless, loathing the tightness in her chest when she thought about losing Tatsumi to things that she couldn't control.

She needed to control everything. Everything needed to bend to her whim, or she would _make_ it bend.

When Tatsumi didn't reply, Esdeath brushed aside Tatsumi's cute hair from his face to get a better look of him. She noticed that he was awake, but oddly enough... Tatsumi was smiling at her.

"Tatsumi...?" Esdeath questioned, as she leaned closer to him to examine if there was anything wrong with her lover. Soon feeling his arms wrap themselves around her body, as she quietly gasped in shock. He had never been the one to initiate intimacy between them, to Esdeath's frustration unless she put the moves on him first but now he was doing just that. Why was that, she wondered.

Then Tatsumi spoke, clearly with volume. "Seeing you so scared, so caught up in everything-Really put things into perspective for me, Esdeath. You really love me, don't you?"

"Of course I do, isn't it obvious enough already? Haven't I been trying hard enough to put that across, Tatsumi. Even when you act so recklessly, my heart continues to scream your name." Esdeath gladly returned Tatsumi's embrace, as she lifted him up. Being on her knees, she pressed Tatsumi's head into her waiting breasts and stroked his hair while partaking in it. Breathing him, just enjoying being around him. "There's times that I can't perform my duties well, because you're all that I think about."

"Come on, you're making me feel bad. I feel bad enough as it is, you know." Tatsumi laughed out, the reason for his change in behavior had been something that he had decided on earlier, whilst they were in the bathroom during sex. He reasoned that, he might aswell make use of Esdeath's promotion in rank and ease the strain that Esdeath was going through, considering he knew that it was clearly affecting her. If he tried to resist, she'd limit his freedom and keep him bound by chains.

Chains of love and obsession.

...But if she trusted him, then he'd be able to act on his mission in secret whilst avoiding the watchful eyes of those that would try and expose him by hiding behind Esdeath.

He didn't like it at all, Tatsumi couldn't deny that such intents were downright cowardly but it was what a Assassin would do and that's exactly what Tatsumi was.

A smart Assassin pretending to be a loyal Soldier.

"I love you, Esdeath. Sorry for being so difficult, I don't mean it." Tatsumi eased himself into Esdeath's hold, as he heard her practically moan in satisfaction. Pulling him deeper into her breasts, with Tatsumi rubbing his head against them to show his devotion to her. "I love you so much, Tatsumi. Stay by me, and you'll never feel lonely, you'll never feel sadness or sorrow. Let me be your muse, let me fuel you."

Since he hadn't ate for two hours, and his stomach was only filled with bread that was delivered by the Great General's attendants on his request. Tatsumi's stomach growled aggressively in discontent, audibly and naturally heard by Esdeath's ears.

"Oh my, Tatsumi. Are you hungry, even now? Do you want your loyal, powerful, kind lover to deliver you a feast that will leave you stuffed for days, hm?" Tatsumi himself had been caught quite off guard by his stomach's unexpected whine, that he couldn't reply properly so Tatsumi simply chuckled and nodded.

"Stay put, I'll be back." Kissing his hair softly, and taking one last breath of him. Esdeath left the bed, and walked over to her wardrobe. Taking a clean white buttoned shirt from it, Esdeath put it on. Sliding silk underwear up unto her hips seconds later as Esdeath felt her mate's release begin seeping from her nethers once again, she had already wiped herself down several times and it was still overflowing to her amusement.

For modesty sake, the current shirt on her person was several sizes larger than her own, so it perfectly covered her waist and reached her knees.

Naturally, this was intentional. Esdeath had two separate sets of shirts that she wore during the evening to enjoy herself in peace.

One, like the shirt that she wore now, was intended for when she was around Makoto and the like. Loose and baggy enough to be considered casual wear. Esdeath had buttoned her current attire up so that her marking was barely visible, the other shirt that she usually wore was when she wanted to rile Tatsumi up or when she knew they were alone. Exactly her size, and provided she went without underwear as she usually did, meant that Tatsumi could see everything on display.

Needless to say, Esdeath's large bust meant that she could seduce Tatsumi whenever she wanted, by simply removing each and every button when he tried to avert his gaze away when she was out of sight. Waiting for him to notice, only to pounce him on seconds later when he did and take him. She loved that game of theirs, ever so much.

When she was ready, Esdeath stepped barefoot to the doorway into the Entrance Hall. Taking one long look over at Tatsumi, then to Makoto's room.

She had made very good progress with Tatsumi, tomorrow would definitely call for another look at her boy's condition.

Blowing a kiss with an smile, Esdeath left through the doorway and walked into the entrance hall. Leaving Tatsumi alone on the bed, stepping lightly, Esdeath encountered a passing Guard on Patrol when she made it to the outside corridor. One of her own, as shown by his uniform. Hailing him, Esdeath placed her hands unto her hips and took a piece of long paper and pencil that she acquired from the breast pocket.

"Head down to the Kitchen, and have the cooks prepare these dishes for us. Inform them that I will not tolerate being made to wait, or food that is simply not up to standard. Also, I want you to have my couriers prepare a reservation tomorrow at this restaurant under these names. Table for two." Esdeath wrote everything that she had already explained away, writing it down as she wrote each letter. Her handwriting wasn't the best at the moment, even if she was normally very good at writing without solid foundation and whilst Esdeath's writing was perfectly clear and readable, it wasn't cursive as usual.

"Understood, I'll do it right away-But first, I've been meaning to ask..." The Guard seemed to have been waiting for this chance, his posture showed it. His chest overly upright and expressed out, as if he was trying to seem way more confident than he was. Esdeath internally sighed as she put away the letter for now, she knew what was going to happen and she would dread it as always. She wouldn't kill the man, unless he refused to accept harsh cold rejection as he was one of her own men but there was only so much that Esdeath could take, despite enjoying the sway that her body had and she was hungry for food aswell.

Very hungry for meats, delicious tasteful meats.

Whenever Esdeath's lustful desires had been quelled, and provided she wasn't tired from work. She found herself craving meat, especially. As if her body's instincts wanted her to bolster her strength in preparation for motherhood. Esdeath really couldn't wait until she was officially eating for two.

"You and your boytoy's relationship isn't doing so well, right? I figured, it's been all the talk recently. The guy's living the greatest woman in the Empire, and he decides to mess around with your feelings. Honestly, the nerve. If I were him, I'd treat you right. Say, why don't we go to the restaurant together. I've been there before, very romantic and nice."

"Being the Great General must really tire you out, I know plenty ways to have fun, ways that your boyfriend doesn't even know. Sure, he may be cute but doesn't mean that somebody with your class can't have some fun on the side, right? Just tell him to stay in the bedroom, and that you'll be back by ten, never fails!"

"Tch... Could you just shut your horrid little mouth, already? I've heard enough. Please don't ruin my perfect mood with the nonsensical filth that you mindlessly spew from it. My relationship with Tatsumi is none of your concern, as is it with everyone else in my Military. I believe I asked you to do something for me, not to try and date me as if I was some simple absentminded slut that says yes to any eager man that asks? The wages I provide are certainty more than enough to buy a prostitute in the whoring districts for your disgusting simple minded intentions with me."

"I...I..." The man was taken back, he clearly wasn't expecting this but she continued on. Not letting him off easily.

"You know, Lieutenant. General Morgana's told me about you, she's already reviewed your profile and done some digging in, when you invoked her interest. You've gotten quite a few poor women pregnant, haven't you? That's your ballgame, you find a village with a false name. Work for a few months and built up a reputation, then knock up somebody's daughter before moving unto the next. You've got enemies by the hundreds, and all that's keeping them away is me."

At this moment in time, he knew that he had fucked up massively without any possible way out. Just simply the look that she was giving him said it all, with General Morgana at her side, Esdeath had dirt on every single person in the army minus Tatsumi whom she purposefully excluded from the reviews as she knew him well enough.

Spectator could read the mind of whomever it was pointed at, with absolute accuracy and secrecy. In the hands of a seasoned Agent like Morgana, only Great General Esdeath was her superior. Morgana knew that simply from Esdeath's fight with Budo, because unlike what Budo had known during it. Morgana knew full well that Esdeath was infact, _holding back._

 _"_ Listen-Be reasonable!" The man cried out, trying to appeal to his commander's sense of mercy. Mercy that she really wasn't known for. "Reasonable, is that what you think I am? You've served me long enough to know what kind of coldhearted monster I am, Lieutenant."

"Mo-Monster?! Of course not, you're..." His stance was the shadow of the firmness that it was prior. Shaking in his boots, the Lieutenant's words were as hollow sounding as his intentions.

"But I have the feeling that you're even worse than I am, in some ways."

"Unlike you, Tatsumi doesn't stick with me for what I can provide him. Infact, some days I have to enforce that luxury unto him." Esdeath always enjoying being able to gloat, but she loved it especially when it was about Tatsumi. Even more especially when it was to people who clearly didn't have a particularly high opinion of him.

"What you just tried to do is the exact opposite of his selfless mentality, you wanted to usurp his position as my life partner in hopes that you would gain exactly what he has. But I keep my promises, and I promised that he would be the only man that I would ever love. That'll never change, even if we stand on the opposite sides of the battlefield." Stepping closer towards him, Esdeath made the surrounding temperature of the corridor drop drastically, herself largely unaffected by it even in her state of undress. But the same couldn't be said for the foolish Guard, whom immediately breathed out with chills, his breath seen in the air as it dispelled seconds later.

"...I see that now-I won't..."

"I won't bore you anymore, you already know where this is heading, don't you? So why don't you just have a taste of your own medicine for a change, hm?" Continuing with her sadism, Esdeath froze the Guard's feet straight to the ground with ice, keeping him still in searing pain as she walked over behind him. Paying extra effort to avoid grinning madly from the delightful rush that seeing him squirm gave her. Since he was stuck, his eyes couldn't follow her nor could he turn himself completely around to visualize precisely what she was doing either way. When she turned back around, and faced him upon moving to his front, the man's eyes widened notably in horror.

"I meant literally, by the way. Open wide, or I will hurt you so badly that you'll wish you have." Esdeath mused, as she observed the thick gooey white substance that had been hidden away inside herself accompanied by her own bodily fluids. To torture him, Esdeath flexed and wiggled her fingers clearly in his view. Perhaps she could combine her love for sex with Tatsumi and her love for torture afterall.

The distraught terrified expression on the Lieutenant's face could sustain Esdeath's sadism for hours, she was really going to enjoy this.

"And if you so much as bite me, then I will break every last tooth from your mouth... If I don't pull them out by the root first." At this, the man finally opened his mouth, only to close it immediately again when he backed out. She had figured as much from somebody so cowardly, so naturally Esdeath simply opted to open his mouth by freezing his throat mildly so when he opened his mouth to scream from the pain... Esdeath drove the semen covered hand into his waiting gullet, shoving it as far as she could with blinding speed and making sure to completely wipe every last drop of the mixture unto the man's tongue before retracting her hand away.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it? Swallow everything you've got, it's rude to talk with your mouth full." Esdeath laughed in triumph, kicking him hard in the chest with her bare foot upon releasing him from the Ice that she had summoned from thin air using her Teigu. Bringing him down unto his back, watching him gag and spit everything out when he spun on his side. Licking her lips in satisfaction of his clear apparent disgust with the humiliating torture that she had inflicted unto him. "Kuk-Egh-Ah, ugh-Why...!"

He could hardly speak, simply from the injury she had caused him by choking him, if not for the awful humiliation too.

"Why, you ask? You wanted to get laid, didn't you? I'm afraid that's the closest you'll ever get with me, I merely shared with you what myself and Tatsumi had been spending two hours happily doing in peace. Savage, feral, animalistic breeding." Lowering herself by crouching on her knees, Esdeath watched over him as she continue. Observing him as he tried to rid himself of the horrid taste. "Besides, if you wanted to knock me up like the rest of your fellowship of single-mothers then you'd have failed anyway... Tatsumi beat you to it, but unlike you aswell, I'm the one who forced hot passionate bareback sex unto him in the first place."

Intending to completely break him, by emphasizing exactly what she thought of him, Esdeath's nostrils flared up excitedly before continuing with her rant.

"Simply put, I wanted his baby. Whilst you've always coerced and blackmailed your way into the gene-pool, if I could carry hundred of Tatsumi's children then I would willingly do so but you... You never should've even tried to spread your seed in the first place, there's enough idiotic dolts in the world already." Standing up, and looming over him with the hostile deadly aura in full bloom, Esdeath reaffirmed her bitter distaste for his kind.

Eventually, it was ascertain that he wouldn't be able to speak for hours, traumatized beyond certainty.

"People like you were born to follow orders from people like me, and I believe I had given you a order, did I not? Infact, I should execute you right now on the spot. You've wasted enough of my precious time, and my Tatsumi is hungry." The Lieutenant shuddered, as her words bore into him. For the first time, he knew what it was like to be on the opposite end of the Ice Queen's infamous scorn. He hated it, he was afraid and his mind screamed for him to run away without turning back.

"A...Ah..."

"Luckily for you, there's nobody else here capable of heeding my orders." In truth, provided somebody else had come across them. It'd go without saying that Esdeath would've caved the man's skull in, and simply given the message over to them instead. It didn't matter much, she could simply have him executed in the morning when she was rested and refreshed.

"So I'll just have to make do with the idiotic dolt infront of me." Spitting at her feet, Esdeath retrieved the message from her breast-pocket and dropped it unto the floor at her feet. She usually would've made him kiss her bare foot, from pure sadism but now she could hardly stomach him touching her in any capacity. Afraid that she might catch some vile disease from him, so she waited for him to take the paper and when he did, she turned around and made for the door.

Only ceasing in her movements, holding unto the doorknob with her hand without so much as looking at the man.

"Rest assured, I don't find food at my quarters within' tonight then I won't just have the cooks executed and hung unto crosses... I'll have you too, and I'll make sure that they know it was you whom sealed their fates, so you can spend the whole night comfortably rotting in your shared cell together before the execution in the beautiful lovely morning sun."

"You might even experience the joy of anal sex, when they decide to gang-rape you for the entire night. By then, some semen on your tongue will be the least of your worries." Being the emotionally twisted person that she was, Esdeath saw absolutely no issue with joking about a taboo topic as such as that, especially when she deemed it as karma at it's finest. When she didn't hear footsteps, she turned in his direction and glared intensely.

If it hadn't been obvious already, Great General Esdeath wasn't what you'd call a nice person.

"Shoo, shoo. I don't want to see you anymore, Lieutenant. If you can't perform what I asked, then find somebody smart enough who can." Turning back around, Esdeath opened her door and disappeared through it. The sour mood that she had been stricken with, immediately fading away as soon as she sniffed the air and sighed deeply when she thought of Tatsumi. The steady pace that she had made suddenly stopped in it's tracks, Esdeath began undoing her buttons on her shirt and pulling it loose.

"That reminds me, we haven't tried penetrative sex that way before, either." She smiled in solitude, uncharacteristically giggling madly like a lovestruck school girl. Esdeath figured her disinterest with Anal sex before, had been because she enjoyed intercourse way too much to try anything new and that sex in that way didn't have a reproductive purpose to it. Upon finishing up her thoughts, Esdeath continued moving through the lavish entrance hall and into their bedroom, she had left Tatsumi alone for far longer than she should've. Which in her defense, wasn't what she wanted as naturally, Tatsumi was always on the top of her list of priorities.

"Tatsumi, I can't apologize enough for leaving you for so long." Esdeath was happy to see that Tatsumi hadn't fallen asleep in her absence, but she wouldn't have blamed him if he had done. She would've woken him up anyway, as she was well aware that he needed something good to eat. "Don't worry, I didn't plan on going anywhere, really."

"You and your jokes, Tatsumi. Remind to gag you, when possible. I won't tolerate any underhanded sass from you, at my own expense." Esdeath scolded, she was still amused by it nonetheless. Walking over to him, Esdeath crawled unto the bed to her side and began spooning Tatsumi as he eased into her embrace. Holding unto the arms that held him. "What was the hold up, Esdeath? Run into the ghost of the departed Great General Budo, or something?"

"I wish, but no. I just came upon another insect that hoped to take what you own." Esdeath's vagueness didn't help, she could mean anything really when she worded it like that, Incursio amongst all things. Tatsumi knew that several of the Imperial Military had directly asked Budo for Incursio, during it's captivity in the Teigu Gallery. They were denied, not for their own individual faults but because of Esdeath's carefully worded threat that she would execute whomever she saw holding Incursio in their grasp that wasn't her Tatsumi, after she had dealt with the reason responsible for handing the weapon over in the first place.

As expected, Tatsumi and Esdeath were on the same page when Incursio was involved. She saw anyone else using it as blasphemy of the highest margin, it was Tatsumi's weapon. His Teigu. The Imperial Arm of the Green-Eyed Killer. In many ways, it _was_ Tatsumi's identity. Hence why she clearly derived pleasure from Makoto's skill with it, that was proof of his connection to his father.

When Tatsumi stayed silent, Esdeath explained herself. "Your role as my mate, Tatsumi. They wanted that."

"Don't they all, Esdeath? I haven't been awake for long but I know this must've been the fifth one for this week." Tatsumi groaned out, frustrated regardless of his justified belief that Esdeath wouldn't betray her promise. Oddly, he was jealous too. "Eighth, actually. Close, but not quite right." She joked, but otherwise continued.

"Ignore them, they can't take me away from you... And they won't take you away from me, Tatsumi."

"Yeah, understand that but you know what I mean aswell, they're crawling from the walls... Straight out of the woodwork, Esdeath." His tone didn't convey Tatsumi's true stress with the situation, but it was there regardless.

"I know they are, I know." She hushed him, wrapping her arms further around Tatsumi as she kissed his neck gently. "It's not that I fear for my life, I've never been afraid of them... Even if they aren't averse to poisoning my drink, or plotting my death behind your back. It's that..."

Tatsumi paused, partly surprised by what he was about to say but steadied himself and proceeded with his words. Esdeath hadn't stopped kissing him, yet Tatsumi knew that she was listening to every word that he spoke and said. "It's that they might target Makoto someday, if they realize they can't get to me. Because whenever I look at him, in his eyes, I see a kid that doesn't deserve any of what they have out for me."

"And I'll gladly take whatever they throw at me, if it means they leave him the _hell_ alone." Tatsumi's bitterness was very pronounced, he hadn't been the aggressive type, but much like how Esdeath's motherly instincts had been awoken by their son's arrival in the past. Tatsumi's own fatherly instincts were in full bloom, subconsciously caused by the fact that he was missing his son.

Esdeath's smile grew, staying silent as she listened.

"I can't imagine what I'd do, if anyone so much as laid a hand on him... They could be from the Revolutionary Army, and I'd just lose it." Tatsumi was forced to acknowledge that his growing love for his son, effectively overrode any loyalty to Night Raid or the resistance that they served. This wasn't for same for Esdeath, but since Makoto and him were bound by blood. Tatsumi was obligated to protect and defend his son until his last painful dying breath, something Tatsumi would be very willing to do as shown by his attempt to sacrifice himself for Leone and Akame previously.

And sadly, exactly how he died originally.

Tatsumi wouldn't die from illness, old age nor facing off against a superior opponent in glorious final battle.

Tatsumi's bittersweet death would come from a foe that only Esdeath could overcome, compassion for those weaker than himself but also compassion for somebody who seemingly lacked any herself.

"Shed your worries, Tatsumi. Everyone who serves me, already knows of his importance... He's a good boy, our boy. He knows how to look after himself, Tatsumi." Comforting her mate, Esdeath's hands gently stroked Tatsumi's chest soothingly as she tried to relieve his worries. Tatsumi eased into her embrace more, stroking Esdeath's own arms in appreciation, playing the role that he had accepted earlier for the sake of his mission. Burying his self loathing and resentment, beneath the surface for now.

"...I know, I just... I miss him, Esdeath." Tatsumi admitted, in which Esdeath interlinked their legs together to coil him like a snake. "I miss him, too. But he'll be back soon, then we can spend some time together as a family, Tatsumi. Just the three of us, together. No Military, no violence and no Revolutionary Army."

Oddly, that sounded pretty good to Tatsumi's ears. He rightly figured that Esdeath was stressed by everything in her life, too. Tatsumi soon yawned, whilst he wasn't feeling greatly pained by his prior existing wounds, they were still draining his stamina quite abit. Taking a bath had been a pretty good idea, which proved to him that Esdeath wasn't entirely crazy.

"...Esdeath."

"Yes, Tatsumi?" She instantly replied, less than one second later. Completely focused on him. "I'd like to train Makoto, when he returns to the Palace. I haven't really seen much of his use with Incursio, his Incursio. Well, mine still really. Dead me's Incursio."

"Absolutely, I can arrange that. It'll be perfect bonding for the two of you, he's not particularly skilled with Incursio... It'll be just great."

"Glad to hear it, I figured you might've been against it, so I didn't ask earlier." Tatsumi spoke up. He had always wanted to train with Makoto considering that he would be more assured of his son's safety when he had a proper grasp on his skills, accompanied by the fact that Esdeath had been allotted way more time with him than himself, mainly due to his coma.

"He's your son, too. I can't take that fact away from you, Tatsumi." Squeezing him harder when she said that, Tatsumi smiled and nodded in confirmation, his head's movement caused Esdeath's nose to tickle slightly since she was pressing it against the back of his hair.

"Unlike your abilities with Incursio, that is. He uses it more as a booster and an crutch than what it's meant to be, he seems to prefer my abilities than yours." Having trained with him, countless times in the past and present. She knew what her boy preferred and what he avoided using when he could, but Esdeath herself knew that Incursio's power was too formidable to simply leave ignored.

"But that's natural, I trained him and I can't train somebody with Incursio. Only you can, since you've received training by another wielder yourself." She could teach Makoto about the Demon's Extract, but not Incursio. The extent of her training with it, only consisted of bolstering up Makoto's endurance to resist the strain that it's effects caused on him. Which had been Tatsumi's primary training in the months that had passed, mainly to help him avoid becoming Tyrant's new host body.

"Yeah, I figured that myself. Glad we're singing from the same sheet, Esdeath. And-Wait, what about your ovul-I can't remember what it's called for the life of me, dammit." Tatsumi, who had been fretting about it since before he had come up with his new tactic, immediately clicked back into Reality FM. His eyes widened, while Esdeath merely giggled in amusement once more. Stroking his cheek, Esdeath clarified herself to her mate. "My ovulation day, Tatsumi. My unsafe day, as it were. I was just pretending, you know. I know the risks, and this year's fully booked when it comes to that."

"...Don't hit me, but I couldn't be anymore happier to hear that." Tatsumi sighed deeply, a relieved sigh however. But Esdeath had other ideas, as she scoffed and questioned him. "Is that so, huh? What, are you saying that I'm not good enough to be your mating partner, is that it? I won't take that laying down, Tatsumi."

"Wait, no! Get off me, Esdeath!" Tatsumi laughed in return, he knew that Esdeath was genuinely by the childish tone that she had. Instantly trying to pull away, as she began tickling him crazily. Attacking his armpits, and wrapping her legs across his waist to entrap him. Being extremely ticklish, Tatsumi could only struggle, cry out and laugh excessively. Begging to be freed, but she wasn't taking any of it. Oh, how she wished that days like this could last forever.

...But, to Esdeath. Forever wasn't enough when it came to Tatsumi.

 **Ok, much like the prior chapter before it, hardly any plot advancement aside from foreshadowing goodness. They'll be a tad bit more Esdeath x Tatsumi fluff before we move unto the actual plot but that'll happen in the same chapter so don't worry about that, as usual lemme know what you think about the chapter through reviews and I'll try and do my best to work to your expectations.**

 **Also, yes as you've all been saying to me. I acknowledge that Tatsumi and Makoto haven't received any, if all bonding scenes in the newer chapters and I want to clarify that this is intentional. I didn't want to use the cliche of Tatsumi being immediately accepting of Makoto from the start, it's his child with Esdeath, so naturally he'd be abit disturbed but Tatsumi at his core is a nice guy, so he wouldn't ignore Makoto either.**

 **So you see my issue, I couldn't justify Tatsumi being fine with Makoto's presence, unless he had begun to realize that he was falling in love with Esdeath for real. Since that's what is keeping Makoto in the past, Tatsumi and Esdeath's love.**

 **So you can absolutely expect that bonding scene in the next chapter so I hope that I don't let you guys down!**

 **Lastly, tremendously sorry for the wait. You guys have been really patient with it, and I can't thank you enough. I won't set a deadline for the next chapter as I don't want to let you guys again, but it'll be soon. You have my solemn, yet also very shaky word on that. I'm perfectly fine, inside and out but the wait was primarily because of this chapter. The entire chapter is one big lemon, really so I had to make sure I didn't make it cringy or unreadable, if you get me. So I had to take my sweet ass time with this one.**

 **You know the drill, review and rate it so I can know what you like!**


	25. Chapter 25 - Slave of Desire

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **Alright, let's continue! Slightly longer chapter than usual, A.N as to why! Enjoy!**

Normally, Tatsumi should've awoken in the morning as the sun arose, but didn't. He and Esdeath had eaten the food that arrived in their quarters together happily in peace, Esdeath taking great pleasure in personally feeding Tatsumi whatever he wanted from the wide selection that she had brought. Tatsumi's hunger effectively overrode any hesitance that he had in partaking in food that was prepared by people ruled by fear.

When they were both settled after their meal, Esdeath threw the covers over them and snuggled against Tatsumi. She grew surprised when Tatsumi tried to place himself as the larger spoon when they shifted into position to rest, but Esdeath wasn't particularly in the mood to overwhelm Tatsumi with her love and assert her place on top, so she let him do what he wished.

She didn't mind being fawned over in some respects.

Esdeath had to endure being fawned over by individuals that she deemed less than insects on a daily basis, so being fawned over by Tatsumi was something she really couldn't refuse.

For once, Esdeath felt content with simply allowing Tatsumi to have his way, especially since provided if she didn't keep him coiled in her arms then Tatsumi preferred to rest some distance away on his side of the bed, not that he remained so for long that is. But now that Tatsumi was being open with himself, she wouldn't let him take this action back by tightly coiling him with her legs around Tatsumi's own.

Pulling possessively on the warm hands that were wrapped halfway across her chest, just below her breasts, desiring to feel her love's compression around her body in full. When Esdeath took everything in, Tatsumi's growing love and her sole ownership over it.

A gnawing tightness formed inside her chest, a familiar horrible tightness.

 _Fear._

Esdeath's insecurity flared up once more when she quietly reflected on Tatsumi's alluring magnetic charm for the opposite sex and her assumptions about the feelings of his living former comrades for him. Not that the Ice Queen blamed them, she had been drawn helplessly to Tatsumi and they had been in his presence longer than herself. They had to die, no question about it.

If they were somehow able to convince Tatsumi to rejoin Night Raid then everything that she had come to love and cherish would be gone. Not just gone, but stolen.

Esdeath wouldn't tolerate thieves to live, especially when they wanted to take away her rightful property.

Overwhelmed by her anguished annoyed thoughts, and Tatsumi's hands gently stroking her navel lovingly in circles. Esdeath lashed out from her resting position, unravelling herself from Tatsumi and spinning around to face him at the same instant. Aggressively taking ahold of his body, Esdeath pulled him against her warmth. Constricting him beyond the level of comfort, when Tatsumi moved to voice discomfort in his predicament, Esdeath shoved his worried startled face into her warm breasts.

Smothering him hard with her busom, as she breathed heavily out in rage. Trying to dispel it, and rest properly to sleep.

"They won't, they won't take you away from me. You're mine, Tatsumi. Your future belongs to me, that's how it's supposed to be." Trying to quell the unbearable tightness in her chest, Esdeath's quiet slow proclamations were mainly for herself. She hated this beyond words could describe, feeling so tense and alert when she just wanted to just enjoy herself with Tatsumi. It was almost ironic, that Esdeath's greatest enemy was also one of Tatsumi's greatest friends.

 _But Tatsumi didn't need friends._

He just needed herself and herself alone in the end, Esdeath thought.

"Esdeath...! I can't... Mhmmm..." When Tatsumi muffled then groaned in discomfort as he tried to rest, Esdeath suddenly snapped from her tense state and became awfully guilty about herself. Despite not being that much tired, she knew that Tatsumi was exhausted from the today, and he needed the sleep more than she did. Realizing that Tatsumi's sleep was more precious than her urge to destroy the aching in her heart.

Esdeath slowly calmed down, easing up in her hold, Tatsumi breathing out in relief as he snuggled back against her properly. Tatsumi being affirmative in his affection, brilliantly did wonders for Esdeath's mental health as she felt so much better than she had in ages.

"Just sleep, Tatsumi. You'll feel better when the morning comes, I promise." Esdeath cooed, lovingly to him. Surrounded by the warmth from the pillows, soft covers and Esdeath. Tatsumi fell helplessly into sleep, by the time he could even try to muster a response. When Tatsumi had successfully dozed off into sleep, Esdeath began working to rid herself of the anguish that lingered inside her.

Lightly kissing Tatsumi's hair while sniffling it at the same time, she allowed herself to drift off into fantasies that she wanted to make a reality. The life that she wanted to lead, the faces of their newborn children as they came into the wide world, and the corpses of the people that she wanted dead.

Esdeath had never actively sought somebody's demise with such dedication in the past, always taking things as they came. But it was different, very different. She had a dream, a dream of happiness with her Tatsumi. She didn't want to be alone anymore, to be without Tatsumi and his adorable quirks would be agony beyond measure. To lose the boy that slept peacefully in her arms, it was unthinkable and just plain wrong.

Esdeath hated the very thought of that she had lived so many years alone without Tatsumi in the dark future, only comforted by her son.

A son that became as twisted and cold as she was.

Apart from Esdeath's mind currently quietly urged her to stay awake, afraid that if she were to fall victim by sleep's grasp then Tatsumi wouldn't be there when she awoke. That had already happened once before, but it would not happen again. Esdeath vowed to make sure of that, from body to soul, Tatsumi was hers. They were soulmates, plain and simple. Bound by their powers, but now bound by their child.

In many ways, Tatsumi had enslaved Esdeath to him, almost as much as she had done so to him. More literally than metaphorically in her case, but Esdeath knew that she could never kill Tatsumi now.

He would just have to accept her love, refusal wasn't an option anymore for him.

He was hers, and that was it.

She had previously already long accepted the fact that if he absolutely refused to accept her love, then she would have to act in regards to her duty to the Empire's Military as it's loyal General. But now, that way of thinking was all things of the past. She couldn't stomach throwing away so much blissful joyous happiness by plunging her sword into Tatsumi's heart.

She had seen what they could create when they joined as one and worked together as lovers when they connected intimately. Bliss and beauty at its peak, innocence with unmatched purity.

But that wasn't enough.

 _She wanted more._

If Esdeath's beloved Makoto had turned out, so beautifully well. Then what about another child between herself and Tatsumi then, or another? And another. Another boy of her own, and perhaps, a sweet lovely girl to complete the family. It was obvious that any child that was formed from their love was destined for greatness, even so, Esdeath was fully aware of the physical toll that came with pregnancy. She was very informed that carrying life and letting it grow was a tremendous burden but one that she would gladly perform for her mate.

The toll itself was said to ruin some women, but Great General Esdeath wasn't normal by any measure whatsoever nor kept hostage to the biological frailties that gnawed at the legs of those that she looked down upon.

Esdeath was very happily confident that she would be able to birth plenty of Tatsumi's children before she felt so much as an ache, from anything related to that. She was built like an impenetrable fortress that demanded respect, having mastery over every single fibre of the impossibly beautiful body that she had been honed to utmost perfection through rigorous training and martial prowess.

Slipping from her fantasies, she breathed out slowly and pulled Tatsumi once more into herself to monopolize on his body heat.

It was agonizingly gradual, but thankfully, Esdeath felt herself calm down once more. Becoming more at ease, she vowed to not let such insignificant pests distract and hinder her frame of mind. She had to remain focused and steady, Esdeath could not lose control of herself. Especially when it was thanks to her own thoughts, and nothing else beyond that.

The Ice Queen was convinced that she could keep firm control of the situation and restore the gentle balance to her life, provided that Tatsumi continues acting so strangely affirmative and obedient. She had, indeed, wondered why that was but figured that Tatsumi had simply decided to rid himself of his restraint.

Whatever it was, Esdeath wasn't largely upset by the swift change in his behaviour.

She knew whatever game that Tatsumi was trying to play, would ultimately end with herself as the victor.

No less than ten minutes past that, Esdeath fell to slumber's alluring call but not before possessively ensuring that Tatsumi was securely locked firmly in her grip when she lost consciousness, Esdeath's superhuman senses were alert and active even in the midst of her rest. When the morning came, Esdeath woke up and immediately sensed and locked unto the presence of Dr Stylish in the Palace's corridors.

Acting on her original intentions, she slowly unravelled herself from Tatsumi and determinedly sprung into action. Getting dressed with graceful speed, and powerfully marching straight for Stylish's location. Refusing to allow him to casually wander off without fulfilling his expected obligations to her as his superior. She would not allow Tatsumi to dwell in agony, no more was that to be tolerated.

Esdeath's amused enjoyment of playing loving caretaker for Tatsumi had ended days ago, she now wanted the dynamic that she was originally promised returned to her stead, lovers in love and glory. She derived no more bliss from acting as Tatsumi's pillar of strength, even if she would naturally continue doing so until the end of time.

She wanted Tatsumi back to one hundred percent, she would accept nothing less than that. She couldn't properly play around with him, in his downgraded weakened form. So when she had found the flamboyant scientist upon hunting him down, Esdeath immediately dismissed any pleasantries that were attempted to be exchanged, practically dragging him roughly back to her private quarters by the lab coat collar.

Intending to use his professional well-regarded expertise to mend Tatsumi's grievous wounds, or have him face horrific lengthy torture in the chambers. Making very realistic threats, that if she was not given exactly what she wanted then Stylish and everyone that served him or was enslaved by him, would experience the highest calibre of pain that she could provide them.

She would make what she had done to Budo, look as if it had been done by a mewling infant.

As much as Stylish did not want to, he couldn't go against Esdeath. They'd be nothing that he could do, medical malpractice was grounds for death. Even, existing as a cloned body. He still very much felt pain, real as anyone else did.

So Stylish avoided acting foolishly by trying to rid himself of the hated enemy that he wanted dead. Instead, opting to use this chance to closely examine Tatsumi's unique evolving biology, whilst while healing him. Watched like a hawk, Stylish used Perfector like an artistically inclined painter used his favourite brush, mending Tatsumi's slowly healing wounds. Sewing up broken bones, weaving fractures into place and restoring the physical shape that was recognized as natural.

Using Tatsumi's previous recovery room, as a small operating theatre.

It took longer than usual, but that was because Stylish was forced to work away at literal knifepoint since Esdeath notably positioned her Elegantly designed Rapier longsword mere centimetres away from the crook of his neck. Fully intending to sever and decapitate the man's head, if any harm came to her beloved mate that put him in immediate danger of death, otherwise, she would simply incapacitate him before hauling him away to be mutilated with instruments of torture.

Regardless, she was absolutely ready to finish the job that Stylish had been doing if that was what it took, Tatsumi would live. Nothing would get in the way of her beautiful boy's survival.

That was why, Tatsumi had not awoken during dawn as he should've, being drugged into deeper sleep usually did that, but when Tatsumi awoke.

He immediately found himself to be healed albeit drowsy from the lingering effects of the injection, the pain was a distant memory, in fact, Tatsumi felt eons stronger than he had felt prior. Partly tempted to make a break for the nearest Military Training Hall, to realize the new depths of his strangely newfound power in hopes that Esdeath's might wouldn't be so damn far away anymore.

"Huh... What in the hell, why is that... Why do I feel... So well?" Tatsumi questioned upon properly shaking off his drowsiness, thinking aloud as he sat up from the comfortable bed. He was alone, it was early midday at noon but Tatsumi wasn't forced to pull himself up from the confines of the bed. Nor writhed in frustration on his helplessness, was he just dreaming? It had to be, he hadn't felt this great, even before falling into his coma.

Only yesterday, Tatsumi could barely walk without stumbling over messily and even when he was laying down immobile, slight movements would cause thorns of pain to emerge in him. Yet, he was free from pain.

Not only that, his most recent injury... His hand that had been broken by Esdeath, worked as good as new. Fully able to bend and position every single digit, everything was just as it should be. But that scared Tatsumi way more than he expected it would because he wasn't exactly sure when he would be forced back into that horrible state again, or how long that his newfound wellness would last. Nothing could be said for certain, living with Esdeath wasn't exactly easy when everyone wanted you dead or worse.

Tatsumi was convinced that if anyone else was subjected to the torment that he was, then they'd have broken ages ago.

"This doesn't make any reasonable sense..." Tatsumi continued speaking in his confusion, leaping from the bed and unto the soft azure blue carpet floor below. Just in his briefs, Tatsumi looked across the room for any signs of evidence that Esdeath had been by.

She would be busy with her duties, as per usual but that didn't mean that she wouldn't have commands for him, Tatsumi knew that simply wandering around the Capital to look for adventure and entertainment wouldn't be allowed nor tolerated. Taking a simple hand-mirror from one of Esdeath's drawers.

Tatsumi noticed that, if it wasn't obvious enough by the notably changed tone of his skin, that he had become very pale in complexion from being kept inside the solitary room to recover in peace. He wasn't to Esdeath nor Makoto's extreme level of paleness since they shared the same colouration but Tatsumi was gradually stepping closer to that margin. He wasn't so tan anymore, that is.

"Actually, I could use a nice long walk in the sun... A very nice long walk in the sun. At this rate, I'd be better suited to being mistaken as a Ghost instead of a human." Tatsumi quipped, returning the mirror back into its original spot in the draw.

Rolling his shoulders to ease up, Tatsumi moved to acquire his usual clothes from their place, as he wasn't exactly comfortable with being half-naked when one of the hired trusted attendants could simply wander inside and catch him completely off guard. Midst Tatsumi's movement, he was forced to pause when the notable presence of his icy counterpart was felt in the air.

 _Oh, there you are,_ Tatsumi thought.

"Esdeath, right on cue. She must've felt my awakening just as soon as it happened." Tatsumi trailed off in his thoughts, walking back to the bed since Esdeath may take him being mobile and somewhat close to the doorway to the entrance hall, as being some kind of odd escape attempt. Which, for once, wasn't Tatsumi's intention in mind. She was close, but he couldn't tell exactly how close she was to him.

All that he could do was simply wait for her to walk through the doorway, and greet him. He correctly figured that she had been planning to do that, regardless of what she was currently doing at the time.

A meeting with the Prime Minister about the news ways that they could oppress and ridicule the unfortunate lower masses, huh? Secondary when it came to him, Tatsumi mused jokingly.

It was really cute in some ways, but mainly just disturbing for him. Realizing that he could never be truly alone when Esdeath kept herself keenly aware of his actions at any given time. Comforting and disturbing, most disturbing. Unknown to Tatsumi, Esdeath had ascended higher in her surveillance capabilities, thanks to General Morgana's assistance and loyalty to her cause. She would prove to be one dangerous foe in the future, one that had to be removed for the sake of his mission.

All in all, least Tatsumi would be able to acquire some detailed explanation on his body's sudden improvement in health. There was one possibility that Tatsumi didn't want to entertain, and that was that Esdeath had allowed the infamous twisted Dr Stylish to perform on him in the Imperial Doctor's stead, despite being Tatsumi's least preferred method of recovery. It was the most likely, considering Stylish's terrifying skill with his Teigu, he'd be almost terrifying in the usual sense...

"...If he wasn't such a goddamn goofball, egh." Tatsumi finished verbally, laying on his side, underneath comfortable sheets. Hiding away, as he sensed the presence of others in the entrance hall, that weren't Esdeath. He figured that she must've brought her retinue along with her to avoid having to delay the work that she was currently working away at. Realizing that only Esdeath would be walking inside the bedroom quarters, Tatsumi lifted himself and sat upright against the headboard when Esdeath entered inside at the same moment.

The instant, their eyes met and locked, Esdeath's formerly neutral cold facial expressions immediately shifted into ecstatic and jovial happiness, being expressed without reservation. Stampeding towards him, Tatsumi's instincts put him on edge from the suddenly arisen nerves that coursed through him. Sitting at his bedside, Esdeath leaned over towards him.

And in return, Tatsumi leaned closer towards Esdeath. As expected, she quickly put her hands fixed around Tatsumi's arms to feel their reaction to the gentle squeezes that she gave.

Eerily silent even at this moment, Tatsumi could tell that she was closely examining him, not just outside but inside as well. She wanted to be completely ascertain that Tatsumi was recovered, and not just experiencing the lingering side effects of the pain relief medication that they had given, but Esdeath's trained senses informed their master of her mate's full recovery. He was perfectly well, and back to normal. Normal as normal could be, for a superhuman talent like Tatsumi.

No longer the fragile and weak shell of his former broken self, but the strong powerful man that she had fallen so deeply in love with.

But then she noticed something midst her examination, Dr Stylish had also noticed this during the operation and informed her of it upon concluding the same operation, but now she truly believed it. Her mate's healed body had evolved, Tatsumi's prior weakness had been completely erased and overcome. His body was vastly more durable now since that was what put him in his original awful state, to begin with.

Being stamped down by the Death Tagool that had been released specifically to seal his doom in the plains. Tatsumi's body seeped power and potential when Incursio adapted and evolved.

So would it's chosen host, at the same time.

The Demon Armor: Incursio was truly a perfect fit for her own Demon's Extract.

It'd go without saying that if Tatsumi lived long enough, then he'd grow into somebody that could challenge her with the possibility of overwhelming her entirely. He already was a formidable presence, they had sparred and trained together enough for Esdeath to correctly realize that Tatsumi's current level of power was only held by back his restrained emotions and hesitance.

"Hnnng..." Esdeath groaned out, she was begrudgingly forced to rein in and restrain herself from lunging aggressively at Tatsumi, which was borderline impossible at the current moment in time, as the revelation of her mate's newly found passive trait. Sent Esdeath's instincts into complete overdrive, loudly urging her to lay further claim to her beloved by breeding with him at this very instant. She couldn't let herself go, they were important matters to attend and business to be done.

 _So she'd simply take Tatsumi along with her._

After all, Great General Esdeath wasn't so enslaved by her instincts, even if she had been largely controlled by them in recent days. But that was largely due to Tatsumi's long-awaited awakening and his subsequent suicide attempt, causing her insecurity to go haywire. When she wanted, she could stop herself from being so helplessly led along by the internal urgings inside herself. Fully able to focus on the important affairs, and work towards establishing the Empire's superiority above all.

"You're able to walk, aren't you? I can tell, Tatsumi. Just stay there for now." Esdeath spoke lowly, as she regained herself. She moved up and stamped her heel hard against the floor below to make a notable sound. No less than five seconds later after that, Esdeath's female attendants slowly walked through the double doorway leading to the entrance hall carrying freshly ironed clothes, along with another pushing steadily a small cart filled with various assorted breakfast pastries. A Tea Pot filled up residing on the top of it, Tatsumi's eyes widened at this.

"Is this all for me...?" Tatsumi questioned, genuinely overwhelmed by this.

When they were done, Esdeath dismissed them away with one simple wave of her hand. They bowed respectfully in their Mistress's direction and fled back through the open doorway that they had came through originally. Closing it behind them, Tatsumi couldn't see the other figures waiting in the entrance hall since they left as a group thus blocked the line of sight into it.

"Of course it is, you need your strength. You've got a long day ahead of you, Tatsumi." Esdeath replied, walking over to Tatsumi, taking one placed bagel from the cart to nibble on it whilst she held it, keeping the other hand fixed to her hip. Chewing it, Esdeath slid the cart over to the side of the bed with one gentle push with her foot when she had finished eating herself. "What exactly am I supposed to be doing today, Esdeath? I kinda want to train and practice a bit."

"I know but sadly, I just cannot allow that. Today, I want you all for myself. So you aren't going anywhere, alright?" Esdeath explained and encouragingly tapped the cart with her fingers. When Tatsumi didn't immediately go for something from it, Esdeath moved over and sat on the corner of their bed, and poured some hot tea into the two decorated cups.

They already had tea bags inside them, having been prepared prior. When she had poured enough of the boiled water inside them, Esdeath displayed her skills with homemaking and her feminine virtues by removing the soaked tea bags with the teaspoon from the table, using the spoon to allow the poured milk to settle properly.

Esdeath had perfectly memorized, exactly how Tatsumi liked his tea, she had spent hours perfecting it in her free time. He liked a decent amount of hot water in the cup, two sugars so it was evenly sweet along with a lot of milk to accompany it. Esdeath didn't usually drink tea, preferring Coffee but she had begun to enjoy the taste of it when Tatsumi mentioned his enjoyment of it. After all, he wasn't allowed to drink alcohol whatsoever unless Esdeath was present.

"There we go, all done. Just as you like it, Tatsumi." Esdeath blew gently over at the rising heat from the cup that she had prepared for Tatsumi, ensuring that it wasn't going to burn the tip of his tongue. Passing it over to him, Tatsumi took it gently in his hands to avoid accidentally dropping it from the heat coming from the cup. Sipping it lightly, Tatsumi finally spoke up. "So, I'm accompanying you all day? Don't you have attendants and assistants, Esdeath?"

"I do, that's true but they aren't you. And I need you for today, we're going on a date together... So you see why I can't just have anyone else accompany me." Esdeath's smile grew, she sipped her own cup that she had made for herself.

Enjoying being in Tatsumi's presence, relieved that he had been healed without any ill-side effects. Words couldn't express just how happy she was, so she was in no particular rush to return back and restart work once more. She allowed Tatsumi to eat and regain his strength at his own pace, not bothered by the wait that she was subjecting her retinue to.

Esdeath's gathered retinue consisted of, Fate from the Jaegers whom she planned to introduce her to. Captain Torres, she had been reassigned back temporarily to her previous position to aid Esdeath, until Tatsumi could overtake the responsibility of acting as the Ice Queen's chief aide. She perfectly masked any annoyance, or jealously at being asked to return to the position that she had worked so very hard to acquire, and lost to somebody that she deemed lesser than herself or her Commander.

Lastly, were Lieutenant Rogers, who naturally accompanied Torres whenever she went.

Being absurdly hungry, Tatsumi had finished the majority of the pastries that were made for him, upon finally caving in. Esdeath had eaten a few items from the trays, too. She wasn't overly hungry herself, instead, Esdeath simply wanted to encourage Tatsumi to eat more than what he was comfortable with. So she knew that if she ate alongside him, then he wouldn't feel as exposed.

Twenty-five minutes later. Considering Esdeath had thoughtfully opted to patiently wait for Tatsumi to be finished up properly, letting him rest from eating the food so that he wouldn't feel so nauseous when moving about. Now that they had both eaten, it was time for Tatsumi to be dressed but Esdeath had something very special in mind.

"Here, put these on. They should fit you, quite nicely." Esdeath placed the pile of clothes that had been brought over. A pair of specially made black trousers, comfortable and clean. Black wrist handcuffs that were made for comfort, and to be held together by chains. A pair of socks, along with another pair of white military boots that came up to Tatsumi's calves.

And lastly, they were a fashioned neck collar similar to the one that Esdeath had placed unto Tatsumi in their first encounter with each other. This one was built for comfort, however. Esdeath's symbol was fixed to the centre below where Tatsumi's chin would be. "Are you..."

"...Serious? There's no shirt and a collar? You're going to, just drag me about for the entire day?" Tatsumi replied, completely dumbstruck. He hadn't expected this, especially now that he was finally playing ball with Esdeath and not trying to resist uselessly. But it was no use, Esdeath's possessive behaviour was just so deeply rooted, regardless if Tatsumi tried to appease her by acting as if they were an actual proper couple, then it would just find another way to appear up unexpectedly.

"...I just can't, Esdeath. Please don't make me walk around like that, it's cruel, even for you." Tatsumi pleaded, desperately trying to avoid being reduced from his position as Esdeath's powerful partner in love to Esdeath's plaything so that she could simply put across a message to the rest of the masses. "Don't be mistaken, Tatsumi. I'm not doing this to punish you, absolutely not. I just want everyone else to be aware of what they stand to compete with when they try their luck."

"You should be proud of your body, especially now that it's back nicely to perfect health. Being shy just doesn't suit you, Tatsumi." Esdeath tried to strongly affirm her stance, she wasn't backing down. She wanted this, she needed this so badly. Tatsumi's feelings on this, for the moment, didn't matter. Unlike Esdeath's first outing with Makoto, she would not allow herself to be led along by the one she loved for the sake of making the day especially perfect for her cutie. The outing with Makoto required very precise precision on her part, she had to make it work but with Tatsumi, Esdeath was already confident in her ability to string him through the day instead.

She wanted everyone to see what she had done to Tatsumi's body, the night prior. Tatsumi's bitemarks lining his neck, along with the feral claw marks caused by Esdeath's feminine nails.

"I...Please. Come on, there's really no need... I have no desire to run from you, Esdeath. Honestly, you need to believe me on this." Tatsumi confessed, earnestly. Trying to bolster Esdeath's trust in him, so that she would be more inclined to avoid such extreme measures in the future, and allow him freedom from the binds that she had already decided on. But, sadly, she wasn't playing ball with him. Tatsumi knew that Esdeath had begun to acquire a strong immunity to his pleads, he had realized that if she desperately wanted this, then they'd be nothing that he could do to avoid it from happening to him.

"Whether or not, Tatsumi." Snaking her arm directly under the crook of Tatsumi's own, using it to pull him deeper into herself when it arrived at his back.

"That I believe your words, or if you say that you won't run from me. None of that matters to me, just do as I say." Esdeath's words were law. It dawned on Tatsumi that they'd be no escape for him and that he'd be forced to expose himself to the people that waited on the outside.

The only silver lining in the scenario was that Tatsumi was immune to any offhanded rude remarks, considering Esdeath had asked for this herself. He hadn't willingly opted to walk around, half-naked as shown by the collar. What was disturbing was that Tatsumi noticed upon further inspection that the handcuff's had unique features of acting as the connector between the collar and themselves.

So if Esdeath decided to link them together then Tatsumi wouldn't be able to move even more than he could already with them on.

"Now, I expect you to dress in an orderly fashion with the clothes that I have generously provided you. I've kept my gathering awaiting me for some time, so we best be on our way." Realizing that she had won Tatsumi over. Esdeath gently kissed Tatsumi's neck, smiling lightly in victory before withdrawing from him so that he could properly get dressed. "...As you say, Esdeath. Alright." Tatsumi responded, trying to seem as if he just hadn't lost in his attempt at maintaining his dignity.

Waiting by the doorway, watching her lover dress. Letting her lips, Esdeath waited until the last piece of attire was to be attached unto him. The collar that she had picked out for him, moving back over towards her mate. Esdeath took the collar from Tatsumi's hands and positioned it properly at his neck. "Here, let me. These things take some practice, but this should fit ever so nicely."

"Lean your neck up, Tatsumi. Go on, that's a good boy." Greatly pleased by Tatsumi's obedience, Esdeath attached the specialized decorated collar and fixed it to him. Locking it up, and attaching the metal chain that was connected to the front by a similarly designed metallic loop. Grinning widely with teeth on display, Esdeath tested it out by lightly tugging on it by the chain.

Pulling Tatsumi straight face first into her waiting chest, keeping him there firmly while using the hand that wasn't holding the chain to gently but intimately stroke Tatsumi's abs. "Ach... Can we, just get this over with? Let's not lose control of ourselves so early in, Esdeath."

"You're exactly right, but I couldn't help myself. I dare anyone try and challenge you like you are, my sweet little Tatsumi." Esdeath breathed out, greatly enjoying the feeling of Tatsumi trying to bring and pull his nose from the middle of her cleavage, only partly managing to lift himself enough to reacquire the ability to vocalize words from the marshmallow hell that he'd be trapped in. Squirming like a trapped animal. "...What, huh? Tied and half-naked, you mean?

"...That just seems like an unfair advantage on their side, Esdeath. You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" Tatsumi teased, opting to breathe way more heavily than before since they were alone together. Tatsumi went another step further in the teasing direction, deciding to pay Esdeath back for putting him in this situation, to begin with.

Tatsumi surprised Esdeath when he suddenly shoved his face further into her breasts, bringing the cuffed hands that were also bound by the same chain unto her same breasts, hungrily squeezing and aggressively groping them.

But this didn't have the reaction that Tatsumi was betting on, the exact opposite. He expected Esdeath to jump back, and let go but she didn't, far from it. "My, my. Perhaps it was best to put a collar on you, Tatsumi. You're acting so unruly today, you know."

"...Huh, ahn...?" Tatsumi's confusion was so adorable, she just couldn't handle it.

"Do my breasts excite you so much that you simply cannot keep away from them, my love?" Esdeath lightly mocked him, releasing her formerly hard unrelenting grip on the chain to allow Tatsumi to withdraw. When he did, Esdeath pushed him back down onto the bed with the hand fixed to his abs, and lifted her left leg blindingly fast so that it's hard heel placed itself square on his muscular heaving chest. Intentionally giving Tatsumi, one perfect openly visible look of the underwear that she was currently wearing.

"Why do you always try so hard to resist me, when it's so blatantly obvious that you want me?" Tatsumi groaned in pain, Esdeath's heel digging itself into the centre of his chest wasn't something that he'd enjoy, by any stretch of the imagination. He averted his eyes, trying to stare away at something else to avoid losing himself once again as she wanted him to. He wouldn't succumb, not now that he felt strong enough to resist her.

"Just give up, and accept it. Embrace your expected role, Tatsumi." Esdeath continued regardless, teasingly using the chain attached at Tatsumi's worn collar to pull his body upwards, but even then she didn't remove the hard pressure of her heel on him. Forcing him to remain upright, whilst tortured by the sweet pain that she gladly gave him. "What... What..."

"...What do you think, Makoto would say if he saw us like this? Do you think he'd be surprised at his Mother hurting his Dad so cruelly like this, huh?" Tatsumi countered back, trying to grin amidst the growing pain in his chest, hoping to hell that this'd work out for the best. And it did, for about one whole second in which Esdeath withdrew her heel and released the tight grip on Tatsumi's chain.

Only to harshly slam that same heel straight back down, and confidently fold her arms underneath her breasts to emphasize them. Not letting her grin fade in her truthful reply. "Oh, funny that you mention that, Tatsumi..."

"Our baby has already revealed his thoughts on my treatment of you, to him, we're just expressing our love openly... So, don't think I'm going to be holding back anymore, Tatsumi. It's time that you learn to behave yourself for me."

"And that's all there is to it." Esdeath's words sealed Tatsumi's grim fate, he should've known that Esdeath's flesh and blood wouldn't be bothered by anything she did that was acting in his interests, too. Tatsumi knew that Makoto was largely for them being together as a couple, mainly considering his very survival hinged on it, not that Tatsumi was aware of that at the moment. Still obliviously unaware of the true danger that being separated away from Esdeath presented.

"So, shall we off? We have a lot of work to do, Tatsumi. And we don't have a lot of time before our date, you know." Esdeath sadistically smiled, pressing her heel back down slightly harder before finally withdrawing it and pulling Tatsumi straight up to his feet with the chain alone. Tatsumi's bound hands immediately made for his chest, trying to ease its pain by rubbing it. Noticing this, Esdeath placed her palm at Tatsumi's torso, cooling it down with her Teigu enough to ease him off.

Then they left the bedroom, Esdeath happily pulling her mate along at his collar. Not bothering to hold his hand, they moved into the entrance hall. Tatsumi was immediately greeted by the stunned expressions of Esdeath's retinue, aside from the Lieutenant who remained aloof even when met with the half-naked Tatsumi. Torres then proceed to inform Esdeath of their next deed for the day, reading from her clipboard.

It was the matter of Fate's official induction into the Jaegers since she had been just operating as an unofficial member for now.

When Fate's induction was done away with, then Esdeath could transfer Tatsumi officially over to her aide service and begin training him up nicely. Now that she was Great General, Esdeath could take her mate to whatever meeting that she was required to sit through, par certain meetings with the Prime Minister that was strictly between the two of them.

Esdeath's retinue followed their leader loyally, moving through the corridors of the Imperial Palace. Tatsumi brushed off any hard stares that he'd receive on the way from the members of the Military that'd be passing through, veiled disdain and open jealously.

Fate had noticed this, she already knew that Tatsumi was loathed by the Empire, to the point of trying to constantly displace him from his forced position. She felt somewhat envious about his spot, but that was it. Fate knew her place and saw that Tatsumi's abilities and merits afforded him more than what she got herself.

Fate considered it downright delusional that anyone else could want to be Esdeath's lover when they saw the horrible animalistic marks on Tatsumi's built body, for once, what she did to Tatsumi was completely in the open. It wasn't hidden away by articles of clothing whatsoever. But they still viewed him with envious hating stares. It was clear to Fate that whomever had been lured in by Esdeath's charm, had no escape from it, nor could be talked out of the dangerous path that they had chosen to walk.

And naturally, Great General Esdeath would take advantage of that foolishness to acquire more playthings, breaking the people that wanted to make her their own until they could hardly recall what they had originally sought out to do. Soon, they arrived at the Jaeger's quarters. Esdeath ensuring that Fate walked through firstly, Wave and the other Jaegers including Dr Stylish had been recalled to their quarters so they could meet their new arrival.

Wave immediately noticed the stark similarity with his Commander to the woman in front of him, blushing somewhat, only to receive a firm elbow from a very jealous Kurome.

Esdeath explained away what she had come for and Fate's new role in the Jaegers. Meanwhile, Wave redirected his attention towards Tatsumi, trying to appear as if he was keeping his eyes fixed on his Commander at the same time. He was very glad that Tatsumi would be back to perfect health, considering Stylish had informed the rest of his deeds earlier in the day. Seryu naturally groaned at her General's obsession with Tatsumi when she heard of it, but stayed quiet and attentive now that she was heeding her words in the present.

What Wave wasn't completely sold on, was that Tatsumi was being replaced in the Jaegers by Fate. He greatly enjoyed working with Tatsumi, they were best friends. The only person that Tatsumi properly considered a friend in the Empire, considering he hadn't spoken with Kurome in-depth at all. When he heard that Tatsumi was just being transferred to Esdeath's Aides, he felt a bit more relieved with the state of affairs.

"Any questions, if you have queries then now is to the time to state them," Esdeath spoke, keeping Tatsumi stood at her front. Draping her arms lazily over him, pressing him into herself, too.

When nobody spoke up, Esdeath considered the matter dealt with. Opting the leave Fate alone with her new comrades, Esdeath dragged Tatsumi over back through the way they had came, before he could exchange any dialogue with Wave whatsoever. He could tell that Esdeath wanted to quickly rush through the assortment of duties that she had lined up, so they could begin their date.

Being led along through the corridors once again, Tatsumi quietly kept his thoughts to himself.

They hadn't been walking for long at all, but they eventually crossed paths with Dr Stylish's newest creation in the hallway. Resembling a Knight in shining armour from a fairytale, the man in iron stood motionlessly at six feet tall. Designed to assist the Empire's footsoldiers in conventional warfare, he'd be built like a walking battle tank. Plated armour tightly bolted unto every hinge and edge, melting him with his suit for life. Proudly painted with blue and white, this mysterious soldier wouldn't look out of place, provided they aligned themselves with a group of Esdeath's men.

Surprisingly enough, Esdeath had only seen him twice, now and when she came to fetch Stylish earlier in the day.

But unlike Tatsumi, Esdeath wasn't on edge whatsoever. She considered this embodiment of the Empire's lust for conquest, to be rather cute. Greatly looking forward to using him in the battles ahead, considering she effectively owned him just like Stylish. The figure wasn't completely covered by metal, it'd be meshed with white robes as well, covering just below at his thighs.

His status as a Prototype model was largely seen, Dr Stylish had written various scribbles on his armour. His blood type, measurements and various other important details. Quite eerily, they'd be a name belonging to person's unknown written diagonally across the top side of the helmet. **_"Fortuna."_** This name held no relevance to either Esdeath or Tatsumi, they were largely unaware of who it'd belong to, unaware that it was the name of the man who had once been just flesh and blood.

A simple naive wanderer from distant lands.

Having been captured by Team Stylish, and abandoned callously by his courier in transit. Fortuna had largely managed to smite countless untold numbers of Stylish's servants, breaking their genetically enhanced body through sheer willpower and determination alone. Martial ability allowed and afforded the foreigner to survive against waves of the Mad Doctor's twisted minions, who watched with giddiness at the spectacular sight.

Fortuna had fought for such a duration, his trusty broadsword eventually snapped in two and embedded itself quite gruesomely into Dr Stylish's right-hand goon.

The faint glimmer of blue light that shined from the centre of the cold foreboding darkness that was Fortuna's new face, was all that remained of his previous identity.

Perhaps, all that was left of his _very soul._

"Stand aside, machine. Your Doctor awaits in the Jaeger's quarters, he's surely called you, hasn't he?" Esdeath sized him up, gesturing for her retinue to follow closely. Esdeath remained exactly where she was, genuinely curious to see if Fortuna would approach her.

Instead, Fortuna loyally obeyed the Ice Queen's command, having been ordered to follow whatever instructions that she gave him. It'd be hardwired into him, only Stylish's commands could override whatever Esdeath had instructed him. When Fortuna stood aside, Esdeath scoffed in victory.

Walking past Fortuna, Esdeath gently allowed her fingers to scratch the surface of his breastplate. Lining her nails with ice, effectively marking him with her talons.

Unlike the Torres and Rogers, Tatsumi lingered slightly and shared a glance with Fortuna. Oddly, Tatsumi felt one odd sense of familiarity with the iron-clad warrior, unaware that Fortuna and himself shared a connection through Leone. Sadly, his bond to the lioness had been reduced to bad dreams by Stylish's mental brainwashing practices.

The programming didn't end there, whatsoever. For Tatsumi had unwittingly fallen into Dr Stylish's trap, allowing Fortuna to properly recognize him as Tatsumi of Night Raid. Activated one of Fortuna's primary directives, secretive orders that were to be completed at all costs.

For if Dr Stylish couldn't personally kill Tatsumi, then he'd simply have Fortuna perform the deed instead.

 _Tatsumi of Night Raid, Marked for Immediate Termination._

The glance had only been for five seconds, Esdeath pulling on Tatsumi's collar to drag him back in line. The time frame didn't matter bar none, Tatsumi's fate was sealed.

Five minutes into their walk, having left Fortuna standing idle behind them.

Tatsumi painstakingly tried to avoid making eye contact with anyone in Esdeath's retinue. He had already been informed during the meeting with the Jaegers that he'd be serving as one of Esdeath's Aides in exchange for Fate taking his place in the Jaegers. He wasn't entirely fine with that, but least now Tatsumi knew what level of ability Fate was at, considering she was considered strong and exceptional enough to be serving alongside Wave and the others.

Thankfully for Tatsumi, Esdeath's remaining duties just consisted of mundane administrative affairs that were easily dealt with simply by paper and quill, taking residence inside her recently repaired office on the upper floors of the Palace.

They're were Ongoing Military Reforms, Scheduling for upcoming inspections and reports on the activities of the City Guards in the Capital to be done away with. Torres and Rogers worked away in the background, delivering messages around the Palace and informing their leader of the next item on the agenda when they were done.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi was forced to sit by Esdeath's chair.

Esdeath had designed the chair herself with the assistance of woodsmiths. At the base of its seat, the chair contained several metal loops around it that could be linked with the end of the chain at Tatsumi's collar. Allowing it to be fixed into place, trapping him completely. What was worse was that Esdeath had designed it so that she could adjust the length of the chain and the distance at will, so that she could keep Tatsumi at her side whenever she wanted at whatever distance.

If she wanted to focus, then she could lengthen the chain so that Tatsumi could sit some distance away.

 _But if she wanted intimacy._

Then Esdeath would just bring the chain closer until it'd be reaching the base, aggressively pressing Tatsumi's head against her nearest thigh. Using the hand that she wasn't currently writing with, to stride fingers through his hair repeatedly. Esdeath had eventually noticed that Tatsumi's resistance against her demand for physical contact was only present when Torres and Rogers were around in the room.

He didn't try and show any affection, nor lock any eye contact with her. Merely keeping to himself in silence. This was strange and somewhat frustrating for Esdeath to experience, Tatsumi had been so obedient thus far.

"Lieutenant Rogers, Captain Torres. You may take a short break from your duties, I expect you back here in within' thirty-five minutes from the moment that you leave." Esdeath announced loudly, elegantly writing her signature at the end of another report that she needed to overlook.

It told her that no Revolutionary Army or Night Raid members had been spotted in the Capital, which had been somewhat of an ongoing rumour amongst the local populace, that all Revolutionary Cells had evacuated from the Capital and fled elsewhere. This was good news, naturally.

But Esdeath couldn't help but feel as if she wasn't privy to the whole picture. She was smart enough to know when the battle was over and it was far from over currently.

"Of course, Great General. We'll return at the ordered time, as per your request." Torres bowed, respectfully like usual. Unlike Rogers, who seemed more ragged than herself. Torres seemed like she'd be perfectly fine to work some more, even if she hadn't refused the order to rest. Rogers simply bowed, then followed Torres on her way out. When Esdeath heard the door close, she leaned back and breathed out. Rubbing her forehead slightly, this work was surely tiresome.

"You know, Tatsumi... What do you feel about having a bit of fun, hm?" Esdeath cooed, Tatsumi had been sitting with his back away from Esdeath with his knees pulled up. His arms folded around the tops of them, hoping that he'd be released from his embarrassing predicament sooner rather than later. Trying to cover himself up. Tatsumi was caught off guard, when Esdeath's words were heard by him, closely accompanied by the sound of clinking from his chains. Suddenly, Tatsumi's collar constricted him way more than usual, in fact, it'd be pulling him backwards.

Which wasn't what he had expected, turning around to face Esdeath's direction properly.

"Huh...What're you..." Tatsumi nonchalantly remarked, surprised and alarmed.

Tatsumi realized that Esdeath had mischievously moved the location of his imprisoning chain's end to directly between her legs, at the middle of the sadism orientated chair. Hence why he'd be pulled away more than usual, being at her side. Since she had split her previous desk in two with one single chop when Esdeath had felt Tatsumi's awakening some days ago.

She had another fitted into her office, as well. And this one, like the chair itself, was another one of her creations. The ends of the desk were completely flat, rectangular and wide enough to accommodate for a decent amount of legroom. The sides of the desk were completely hidden, aswell.

The only visible area underneath would be directly at the back, covered by dark blue drapes so that it's users legs would be concealed. Tatsumi had begun to realize what Esdeath intended for him, she wanted him to squeeze inside the small opening under the desk. As if forcing him to stay connected to the chair was worse enough, now Esdeath wanted him to abandon more of his dignity to appease her twisted perverted desires.

With little choice, and Esdeath constantly lightly tugging on his chain to taunt him, Tatsumi slid himself into the opening when Esdeath pulled the chair backwards enough to allow so.

"Is this what you wanted, Esdeath? I wish you'd just be clear with me, you can't always expect me to know what happens in that strange head of yours." Tatsumi passively remarked, not expecting what came next. Esdeath violently shoved her chair back into place, so hard that Tatsumi leapt up and hit himself against the top of the desk that he'd be under. Groaning from the pain, Tatsumi could hardly see anything that wasn't Esdeath in front of him, and like back in the bedroom.

Esdeath was openly displaying herself for him, shamelessly and without reservation. "I think it's currently very clear to you. What I want from you at this moment, Tatsumi. Whatever's suddenly made you more obedient to me, I'm going to capitalize on that... Monopolize on that, eventually, this'll become second nature to you."

"Oh, don't get so full of yourself... I'll never be like those two, Esdeath. I'm still going to be me, for better or worse." Tatsumi retorted, trying to seem confident and self-assured. Esdeath responded by unhooking the chain from its position and roughly pulling it up so that Tatsumi's face was shoved very quickly between her thighs. Licking her lips, and overlapping her legs around his back.

Compressing and squeezing him. "Much like me, Tatsumi. Your willpower is way too strong to be completely broken down, you may undergo some changes but you'll still stubbornly remain the same person at your core. Just like me, I won't ever change in my ways, no matter how many lives I destroy or how many times you beg for me to reconsider myself."

"We're perfect for each other, aren't we? Soulmates, born and made to appease our fated partner." Tatsumi dryly stated, bitterly understanding what Esdeath was getting across, a bit too well.

Sadly, Esdeath completely ignored the light sadness in Tatsumi's quiet tone and took it as if he genuinely meant it. Sighing deeply in bliss, Esdeath squeezed on Tatsumi's back way harder than she had been doing and proceed to violently ram his face straight into the fabric of her lightly soaked underwear. Just having Tatsumi residing underneath her desk, flipped many a switch in Esdeath's excited body.

The feeling of exquisite dominance over her mate, his obedient submission and the fact that she was currently dominating Tatsumi at his best level of health. It was so magical.

To say the least, Esdeath was beginning to wish that Torres and Rogers had been given two hours instead.

Foreplay would have to do, for now.

"Tatsumi, I demand that you serve me as you did before... I need to experience that again, I just need to." Esdeath's voice currently alternated between lustful desire, then authoritative dominance. From what Tatsumi could see from the drapes, he saw that Esdeath's eyes were fixed to the ceiling as if she was recalling her memories of that night. Which, provided, she was. She needed release, the tiresome work had ebbed away at Esdeath's patience and paved the way for the need for intimacy. Esdeath's powerful libido was something to be truly feared, especially to the sole target of it.

"Esdeath, please... Isn't it enough to have me stuck where I am, you're asking too much..." Tatsumi pulled himself away slightly, only to be forced back down once more. Esdeath was becoming more sexually aggressive with each passing second that went by. "I need you here, don't pull away..."

"Ugh, I only have so much hair to pull on, you know," Tatsumi replied, agonized, trying to avoid shuddering from the ominous direction that things were heading steadily.

"My loins are ablaze, Tatsumi. Cool me down, I demand it!" Annoyed at his apparent hesitance, Esdeath verbally nudged him harder to try and achieve results. "If my hands weren't bound in chains, then I might've been able to do something about that without degrading myself...!"

"Nonsense, all you require is your mouth... That's how it'll be, Tatsumi." Refusing to be persuaded, Esdeath slid her panties away so that Tatsumi's nose wasn't pressed against the fabric anymore, but instead against her protruding clit.

"Time is slipping away with each second that you don't do as I say... _Don't test me._ " Squeezing him by the legs, Esdeath's shaking hand harshly used Tatsumi's hair to direct his face in soothing motions against herself.

"Hrrrrn... Would you least be gentle, please? Capital on the P." Tatsumi re-positioned his head sideways so that he'd be able to properly communicate without accidentally sending Esdeath's eyes into the back of her head.

Tatsumi's main hesitance was largely because of Captain Torres, he had seen how subservient she was to Esdeath. He knew somebody like her would probably opt to arrive way earlier than the allotted time. Normally, Esdeath would've taken this positively, but now Tatsumi was afraid that if Esdeath was disturbed then it'd spell doom for the young naive woman that craved the affection that Esdeath was currently aggressively demanding from her mate, Tatsumi.

" _Hurry up, Tatsumi. Hurry up._ What're you waiting for? Satisfy me, do it!" Realizing that refusing Esdeath's inclinations anymore, was grounds for failure on his new mindset in dealing with his mission. Tatsumi took one deep breath, trying to ignore the seductively womanly scent that Esdeath was producing from her squishy thighs without pause, then threw himself into the abyss of lust and madness.

 _Here goes nothing,_ Tatsumi thought.

The late afternoon had arrived, Esdeath and Tatsumi had concluded their business in the Imperial Palace and were currently riding one of Esdeath's many decorative carriages together into the Elite Shopping District of the Capital for their long-awaited date. Esdeath's smile couldn't be any larger than it was at the moment, she had been thoroughly satisfied back in her office. Having greatly enjoyed Tatsumi's skilled usage of his tongue, and reaped the rewards of having him service her. She had came twice, before Captain Torres and the Lieutenant had returned but by then, Esdeath had already finished the paperwork that she had originally set out to do.

Esdeath allowed herself to enjoy the first act of Tatsumi's submissive service, without any distractions whatsoever. Taking everything into herself completely, exchanging excitedly pleased compliments and words of love to the gorgeous dutiful boy underneath the table. The second act was slightly different, in that Esdeath had tried to make another start at the paperwork on her desk so that everything appeared as if she had kept working in the Aide's absence and not forced Tatsumi to relieve herself of pent up stress.

Like before, Esdeath's handwriting wasn't perfect but readable and neat. Not cursive, or overly elegant.

When they were done and finished, Esdeath immediately slid her ruined underwear straight down from her waist and bundled it up. Taking another similar piece of underwear from the drawer that she had locked up, unlocking it with the key taken from her cleavage. Esdeath kept eye contact with Tatsumi, during every second of this, wanting him to know that she had planned and prepared for this.

Sliding the new fresh undies up, and discarding the old ones, into Tatsumi's trouser pocket when she came down to check on him. Stroking his cheek with one brush of her tongue, affirming her dominance over her mate.

Soon, she moved to freshen up the place, desiring to rid the room of its womanly aroma by spraying expensive perfume that she had brought in preparation for this. Completely blanketing the room in its odour thickly enough, causing Tatsumi to quickly descend into a violent coughing fit. When Esdeath saw this, she figured that she had sprayed more than enough to misdirect the two that were coming over soon.

She had timed everything so perfectly, and now that everything was done in terms of paperwork, they could finally begin their date.

All she needed to do was to finalize everything with her two subordinates, give them additional duties for the remainder of the day and be off into the City.

One hour passed by, Esdeath had resolved the affairs of the Military and was now free to act as she wished. The Ice Queen wasted no time in boarding one of her carriages and heading into the city. Very giddy, barely restraining herself.

"I do hope that you're excited like I am, Tatsumi. I've been looking forward to a proper date between us, it's been on my mind for some time." Esdeath confessed, sitting across from him in the carriage. Folding her arms beneath her chest, and crossing one leg over the other. Tatsumi was now dressed in a shirt and followed by his usual white jacket, he was also thankfully freed from the confines of the collar that he had been forced to wear. Feeling greatly better about himself and his importance to Esdeath.

"I guess I am. We haven't done much of anything together in that kind of way, Esdeath." Tatsumi confessed, aswell. It was true, while they had been lovers and partners. The depth of their relationship was largely physical, they had eaten together and bathed but that was it. They hadn't gone out to fancy restaurants or had they seen stage plays in the evening. It was just training and fornicating like wild animals when it was about them, even if Esdeath knew that she loved Tatsumi earnestly.

So, she desired to use Tatsumi's gradual improvement in following her orders without resistance, to hopefully nurture some sense romantic innocence in their love. Esdeath was already beginning to figure that Tatsumi saw himself as some kind of sex slave, but that wasn't what she wanted. True, Esdeath greatly adored intimacy, but if it cost Tatsumi's enjoyment of it through overexposure then she needed to mellow it out with another form of intimacy.

Romantic intimacy, she wanted to feel close to Tatsumi by convincing him to open his heart up to her.

Esdeath had torn down Makoto's emotional doors and won back that sweet little boy that she loved so very much. Now if she could do the same to Tatsumi, then everything would be perfect. No matter what, no matter how long it'd take, Tatsumi was going to enjoy being hers.

Any choice that he had in the matter had been removed, at the same moment that he accepted being hers in the first place.

 _He brought this on himself,_ Esdeath thought. _He's just going to have to accept it,_ she continued, internally.

"Precisely my thoughts, Tatsumi. It'll be healthy for our budding relationship, we must strive to nurture a cooperative spirit between us for the sake of the love that we share." Seeing some sense in Esdeath's words, Tatsumi nodded openly and expressed his views. Recalling his mission, and keeping his true feelings shrouded in the persona that he had created. "I agree, if we aren't working together then there's no relationship to be had, Esdeath. Let's do this for Makoto."

"Glad we're on the same page, we'll be further into the shopping district soon." Esdeath glanced away from Tatsumi, to the windows. They were heavily tinted so that nobody could perceive who was on the inside and what they were currently up to. But whoever was inside them, could view and watch anyone else on the other side.

Like expected, Esdeath largely preferred this. When it was just herself and Tatsumi alone in the carriage, Esdeath opted to use it as a personal massage parlour. Forcing Tatsumi to give or way more likely receive physical intimacy, not crossing the border but always drawing teasingly close to it.

"So, what're we doing exactly? You weren't clear on that, it isn't like you to plan something without... Well, a plan." Tatsumi explained, seeing straight through Esdeath causing the Ice Queen to smile lightly when she was caught. Dusting herself off a bit, Esdeath leaned back against the cushioned seat and began stroking Tatsumi's thigh with her foot.

"You're a perceptive boy, aren't you? I have a plan, yes. The reservation that I've booked isn't until two hours before the Military Curfew is enacted, so we'll have plenty of time to eat and leave. Till then, I figured we could do some shopping together... I usually have my attendants retrieve whatever I need, but I'm after some... _Personal items,_ you see."

"...Uhh, personal items? You couldn't possibly mean..." Tatsumi questioned, feeling suddenly very nervous, but not because of Esdeath's foot affectionately rubbing at his thigh. "As personal as personal can be, Tatsumi. Lingerie. Made from the finest silk and lace available in the whole Capital. Even if my body is usually enough to excite you, I won't be satisfied until I completely drive you over the edge." Smiling incredibly dangerously at him, Esdeath had enough time to remove the boot from the foot that was currently assaulting Tatsumi's thigh, now compressing that same foot directly against his groin. Prodding it teasingly, keeping their eye-contact maintained.

"...It's not my place to stand against your choice, Esdeath. But, uhh, you don't expect me to accompany you when you purchase those... Personal items, right?" Grinning nervously, and raising his hands in defence, Tatsumi tried to come across innocently as possible. Unfortunately, Esdeath refused to be denied of Tatsumi's company. "You'll be with me, one hundred percent of the way, Tatsumi. I can't enjoy a date with you, on my own, isn't that so? Rid yourself of any delusion that you can escape me, it's unhealthy."

"But, what if I want to... You know...!" Tatsumi stammered out, scratching the back of his head, suddenly swiftly cut off by the audible sound of hard-knocking against the door to the Military Carriage. They had arrived, on schedule, being undisturbed by the passing crowds of pedestrians since they knew exactly who hid away inside the carriage. They were also accompanied by one of Esdeath's Military Death squads, serving as an escort for the carriage itself. "Let's talk later, Tatsumi. We're here, follow my lead."

Straightening herself up, and reapplying her boot. Esdeath opened the door to the carriage and stepped from it. Affixing one hand to her hip, Esdeath basked in the sun's rays. Using the other to shield herself from them at the same time, waiting on Tatsumi's departure from the carriage, Esdeath took the moment to appreciate the beauty of the world that she had opened herself up to. Tatsumi departed, dusting himself off upon landing back unto the ground.

"Well, I assume you've got a map laid out... I don't exactly know my way around like this place." Tatsumi offhandedly mentioned, viewing the Shopping District in its materialistic glory. Seeing couples, nobles and the like enjoy the day by themselves. Esdeath spun around, looking upward at the Carriage driver to direct his next move. The Imperial Soldiers had already closed the door and re-positioned the step ladder. "Lieutenant, you have the coordinates of where I expect you to be and the time that I need you to arrive. Do not be late, I won't tolerate tardiness in my Military, return to the Palace at once."

"Understood, Great General...! At once!" Reining the horses connected to the carriage in, Esdeath's driver begun preparing to ride away. Intending to complete the task laid out for him, to avoid spurning rage in his Commander. They were alone, their Military escorts having dispersed away at the same time as the driver had done so.

Esdeath immediately took ahold of Tatsumi's nearest hand, the one closest to it's opposite and gripped it tightly. Standing side by side, Esdeath looked down on Tatsumi and innocently questioned him on his desires. "So, wherever do you want to go, Tatsumi? Where shall we visit first, on this truly wonderful day out together of ours? We have plenty time, I'm all yours for the day."

"Well, I just wanna spend our time wisely. You said so yourself, Esdeath. We haven't had a proper date before. So let's enjoy ourselves, alright?" Tatsumi confessed, unexpectedly causing his lover to squeeze his hand way harder than she had been doing before. Oh, if only Tatsumi knew what effect his words truly had on Esdeath, then he surely would've been more careful in his choosing. Considering Tatsumi was taking way longer than she could take in deciding what to do, Esdeath opted to pick for him. "That's it, we're heading to the Lingerie store that I have picked out, immediately. You have no say in this, Tatsumi."

"Hey, w-what...! You said I'd be allowed to pick, Esdeath!" Tatsumi yelled, any embarrassment from being observed lost on him.

Dragging him by the wrist, Esdeath ignored the stares of admirers in the street, determinedly locking herself unto the store in the distance. Tatsumi, naturally, had guessed that he would have been at least allowed to pick the first spot out as Esdeath had said. Unaware that Tatsumi's newly emergent cooperative persona had driven Esdeath into one of her typical giddy heated states.

When they had arrived in front of the store, Esdeath's eyes became narrowed and tense. She sensed several individuals inside the establishment that weren't apart of the staff, customers. Pests, distractions and the like. Being who she was, Esdeath had already long performed the necessary background checks and reviewed the staff on the roster one week ago, precisely.

Blowing cold chilling breeze into the open doorway, Esdeath held Tatsumi tightly behind herself when the storms of shrieking female nobles came hurling through the same doorway to escape the cold. They'd avoid Esdeath without fail in their frantic movements, considering the hostile aura that she'd be currently radiating thickly.

The reason why only customers were fleeing the building at the moment, were that Esdeath had frozen the feet of the staff inside, perfectly managing to pinpoint them out amongst the crowds. Tatsumi tried to restrain himself at the moment, clearly being very averse to Esdeath's way of gaining privacy, but unable to argue against it. Tatsumi didn't want to be watched by anyone else in a place like this, without a doubt. "Was..."

"Was that necessary, Esdeath? You could've just asked everyone to leave, I doubt they'd argue with you." Tatsumi mentioned, Esdeath simply chuckled to herself and stroked her mate's cheek, lovingly. "How very little you understand me, Tatsumi. I am not currently Great General Esdeath of the Imperial Military serving the Emperor at this moment in time, I am a woman. Your woman, and a woman that knows what she wants. Women can be feisty when shopping is involved, so I thought I'd try being feisty out myself."

"...A woman with one terrifying advantage over them, you could crush any one of them with just a glance." Tatsumi sighed, folding his arms tightly. Waiting for Esdeath to step inside, absolutely unwilling to enter the place, unaccompanied by her. "Maybe so, but I do acknowledge that you don't hold martial strength in consideration when it comes to your preferences with women, Tatsumi. You are mine, but you must enjoy being mine."

"...Of course, I do. Plus, you outrank everyone in any category imaginable. Beauty, finesse, fitness and charm. You've got it all." Tatsumi smiled warmly, scratching the back of his neck, averting his sheepish gaze away from Esdeath. Even with his mission in mind, it'd be genuine compliments. Tatsumi would be foolish to call Esdeath anything else other than drop-dead gorgeous, terrifyingly drop-dead gorgeous. "Your lips, now. Give them to me."

Refusing to allow Tatsumi's flattery to go unrewarded, desiring to nurture it, Esdeath held the adorable sides of Tatsumi's handsome face and compressed their lips as one. Leaning down to kiss him deeply, Esdeath brought herself up when finished and began stroking Tatsumi's hair once more. Smiling openly in his direction, keeping her eyes on him. "If you ever say that again, Tatsumi. I cannot be held accountable for my actions, understand?"

"...Uh, yes. I understand." Tatsumi lifted himself up, sliding his hair away from his eyes. Smiling back in her direction, as well.

"Good boy, Tatsumi. That's my good boy." Esdeath whispered, opting to lead him inside by the hand, considering the agonized groans of the staff were beginning to get on her nerves. She hadn't fixed them into the ground, for neither the intensity that she usually did when entrapping her prey nor longer than what was considered healthy. In the past, Esdeath had accidentally forgotten to remove one of her torture victims from his place in her hold, eventually requiring one of the Torture Masters to amputate both of his feet in the end.

An unfortunate outcome, considering Esdeath had wanted to play with him some more, but could not due to the victim's untimely demise from blood loss.

When they entered inside, observing the feminine mannequins that were positioned suggestively, Esdeath immediately released the staff from their icy binds and hardened her formerly soft voice. Lightly coughing into the hand that wasn't currently holding Tatsumi, so that she could properly make her intentions known.

"Pleasant day, and good tidings. Staff of The Elegant Beauty." Esdeath proclaimed loudly, shifting her hand in Tatsumi's so that it was wrapped around the boy's waist instead and pulling him against her warmth. "You have all been selected to aid me, any male members of staff, whatever their sexuality, will be required to proceed elsewhere away from the Changing Rooms, so that I may enjoy my experience here... Needlessly to say without decapitating any heads of yours."

"The female staff will remain, I require their recommendations and expertise." Esdeath's eyes observed the aforementioned male staff retreating into the Staff Only section of the place, clearly relieved in being released from the Ice Queen's cold presence.

Tatsumi was more occupied in trying to keep his eyes closed, to avoid accidentally cross eyes with the motionless dolls that were dressed up on display. Esdeath singled out, one of the more timid female staff members and glared in her direction. Her tone, commanding and firm. "You, acquire the keys to the front doors and lock them up. Nobody is to be allowed inside, no exceptions. Disobey me, and I'll have your head."

"Yes...! Yes...! Right away, sorry!" The woman eeked, bolting clumsily over towards the Manager who had the keys herself. Exchanging them, she moved past Esdeath and locked the doors tightly. Taking three attempts to do so, unable to properly slide the key into the keyhole from the violent shaking of her hand that held them. Esdeath, on the other hand, was ecstatic at causing the smaller woman to lose composure from mere words. Revelling in her dominance, Esdeath separated from Tatsumi and walked over towards the Mannequins to inspect them closer.

 _"That's it, girl. Know your place."_ , Esdeath mused, greatly enjoying herself.

Already having chosen what she liked, Lace Top Garner Belt with thigh-high stockings ensemble. Esdeath hadn't picked a particular pattern that she preferred for the stockings, she wasn't large on fishnets but instead gravitated towards completely dark stockings. When it came to colouration, Esdeath was already decided. She had chosen to buy three pairs of each, three black and three white. Matching high-heels, too.

Intending to try the black set first, Esdeath clicked her fingers, idly walking around to the back of the motionless doll, inspecting its rear end.

Delighted upon noticing the suspenders, most excellently assist, in defining the shape of the butt. "Fetch a pair of the set in front. You'll be needing my measurements, here. Black, preferably."

"Of course, is there anything else? We're completely devoted to serving your needs." The nearest woman politely asked, currently lowering herself in a posture to the Ice Queen, who pulled the miniature notepad with the measurements included, straight from the space in-between her breasts. Upon handing the notepad over to the attendant, Esdeath replied to the question that had been asked. "Yes, there is. Please bring my mate, Tatsumi, something to drink in the meantime. He prefers orange juice, no alcohol."

At the mention of his name, Tatsumi's head lifted itself from the lowered position, looking at the floor. Fully aware of Esdeath's abusive behaviour to the Staff inside, Tatsumi shook his head dismissively and raised his voice louder than normal. Trying to keep any attention away from the unfortunate staff in the establishment. "Uhh, I'll pass. I'm not thirsty."

"Don't lie, Tatsumi. I can already tell that you've got a dry throat, dismiss my partner's complaints and just do as I say." Catching him out, Tatsumi recoiled and stayed begrudgingly quiet. A scowl fixed on his face. Just hoping that Esdeath wouldn't take so long since that usually didn't end well, he knew that somebody in the place would eventually call Esdeath out on her horrible behaviour.

It was obvious that Esdeath intended to pay for the goods that she brought, always wanting to set a good example for the two of her boys but that didn't mean she wouldn't flaunt her power and presence without one care in the world.

"As you say, Lady Esdeath." The attendant respectfully bowed, non-verbally sending another to complete the task in her stead. Having taken the tremendous burden and more importantly, risk, of managing Esdeath's wishes personally. A single error could lead to her death, and she knew that fully.

But she refused to allow any else to take that chance.

"Now, I'd like to examine your changing rooms, if they're particularly spacious then I'll be bringing Tatsumi with me," Esdeath called out, loudly enough to ensure that Tatsumi heard it. Catching him off guard, to her delight. The attendant replied in turn, she had been working here for many years, and she knew the place very intimately. "Yes, they are. There are three in total, complete with three mirrors at each side and enough room to accommodate four people in each one."

 _Simply perfect,_ Esdeath mentally swooned, enjoying every moment that she waited.

"Most excellent, I will patiently reside here for the items that I have requested, so that I may enjoy myself properly here. You will be commended for your service, I will take your name later on." Esdeath earnestly spoke, she had already had chance to read about the exterior design of the Elegant Lady, but she hadn't been informed of its inferior assets, the Ice Queen couldn't be happier than she was now.

"Do I happen to have any say in this, Esdeath? I'm embarrassed enough as it is, least you could do is give me some respite from your abuse." Tatsumi groaned in annoyance, currently feeling the gaze of his lover fixed on him. Avoiding it like the plague, trying to escape it with little success. Esdeath motioned her fingers at Tatsumi, calling him over sweetly. Her current dangerous grin betraying her body language of affection. "Of course you do, Tatsumi, Afterall, I require your thoughts on the outfits that I'll be purchasing today, nothing else beats what you think of what I wear."

"Besides, we have plenty of time... _Plenty of time, my sweet little Tatsumi._ " Esdeath's proud smile soon bore teeth of its own, perfectly fine with using Tatsumi like a Guinea Pig in her erotic games of desire and lust. Mentally preparing herself to act alluring and seductive to her mate, perfectly fine with posturing and posing in all sorts of different ways to attract his gaze. What was worse, was that Tatsumi knew that everything that was happening at the moment, was his fault entirely.

He had unwittingly allowed Esdeath to realize precisely, how much sway she had over him, sexually. Now that she knew that, they'd be no escape for him.

 _No escape at all._

What should've been no less than thirty minutes, eventually became one hour and twenty minutes, exact, before they left the Lingerie store. Per Esdeath's insistence, it'd be getting late. The crowds had become way more sparse, light had all but retreated away from the sky and clouds became more prominent in the sky. According to Esdeath, they only had thirty-five minutes before their reservation was due, and they couldn't miss it.

Tatsumi had figured they were going to attend the fancy dinner dressed as they were, but Esdeath instantly shot that silly notion down when she revealed another layer in her master plan, she had gotten suits and dresses already fashioned for them to wear nearby.

Forced to follow Esdeath's lead, and also carry her risque garments too, which were thankfully boxed up and bagged elegantly. Tatsumi briefly reflected on the irony of the situation, he hadn't expected that he would be drawn into this same situation with Esdeath, too. Just like he was with...

 _Mine...?_

 _Mine?_

 _Mine...!?_

 _Mine!_

 _Mine...!_

 _MINE._

Tatsumi's body suddenly stopped dead in its tracks, his heart pounding violently and without any pause. Completely motionless in his bodily form midst the agony in his chest, Esdeath had casually walked some distance before noticing that she wasn't being followed anymore by her mate. Turning back to Tatsumi, she was shocked when she saw the expression on his face. Hollow and distant, Tatsumi's eyes were devoid of life and colour anymore.

Stripped of life, fading away.

Practically worn emeralds, Esdeath acted on pure instinct and threw herself into him. Leaping across at him, literally from the meters she had walked. The force of Esdeath's tight embrace, caused Tatsumi's stuck hands to drop the bags that they were formerly carrying but they didn't fall at his sides. Instead, simply staying suspended in the air as if he was still carrying them. Clutching him hard, Esdeath tried to restore Tatsumi's sense of self by simulating his body, squeezing him and holding him lovingly.

Tatsumi's harsh mental break came so fast, he hadn't expected it himself until the moment of its arrival. What was worse, Esdeath hadn't expected this event herself but she knew something wasn't right, even so, why did it have to happen on their wonderful date? Everything had to go perfect, everything _was_ going perfect, why did everything have to fail at this vital critical moment?

Calling his name for the fifteenth time, finally spurred a live reaction from Tatsumi's previously unresponsive face. Her boy's beautiful eyes begun flickering in response to the bodily motions that she made from frantic concern. Barely managing to keep herself calm, Esdeath immediately suspected that Tatsumi's strange condition was due to Stylish's botched surgery, unaware of the true depth that caused Tatsumi to become like this.

The fast beatings of Tatsumi's heart lessened then became quiet beats, followed by his quiet subconsciously spoken words. Instead of Mine, it was Esdeath that he called out for. It was the Ice Queen, that Tatsumi's heart desired internally craved, wishing them to release it from the painful torment of feelings. Tatsumi had, indeed, fallen victim to his lover's relentless unending love for him.

Hushing him sweetly, gathering the fallen items that Tatsumi had dropped into one hand, whilst the other held him in its tight grip. Esdeath's words soothed her boy's wounded soul. Healing him from his emotional trauma, and mending his invisible scars beneath the surface. "My love for you is unending and pure, Tatsumi. Fall, how many times you wish... But I shall always bring you back to your feet, at my side, where you are meant to be. Now rest up, because the night isn't over yet, Tatsumi."

 _"Not by a long shot."_

 _..._

Elsewhere in the Capital's streets.

Some distance away.

Near the same store.

Lurking in the darkness of the peaceful night.

In one of the nearby alleyways across from Esdeath and Tatsumi's location, one particularly brave, or particularly foolish, young girl with unmistakable dark green hair had caught a glimpse of the friend that she had thought to be lost forever. Tatsumi, her hero, she had finally found Tatsumi and more importantly, she discovered that horrible evil woman standing beside him.

Great General Esdeath.

 _Her enemy._

 **Firstly, I had a game plan for chapter 25 laid out, but honestly, I just couldn't make it work for me. They'd either be too many scenes, or scenes that I wanted to dedicate dialogue and plot elements to, but found myself having to shorten the others in return, hence the longer chapter size. Particularly in Makoto's training scene with Tatsumi, which I eventually couldn't fit in. But, I promise that it'll be in the next chapter and since I'll have way more room, it'll be at the midway point and not used in the final scene as originally planned. Therefore, it'll have way more action and dialogue that'll help define the relationship between Father and Son.**

 **Another quick note, Fortuna is from Titus Von-Hussar's Fic: An Outsider. He'll be present in the story from henceforth, but I highly recommend you read up on him!**

 **Thanks for your patience on that, but as I've said, I had willfully delayed that for a reason.**

 **I'll be correcting spellings, errors and the like in the meantime, so keep refreshing the page and come back to it if you think somethings' off or let me know via DMs!**

 **Anyway. Apologies for the wait, guys! Happy Halloween from the UK! I appreciate every one of you readers that have joined me in this agonizingly long journey, and I've made plenty friends during it, so I wouldn't trade it away for anything at all.**

 **Stay tuned, we've got ways to go yet! Rate and Review at your leisure!**

 **I'll try and release the next chapter much more sooner!**


	26. Chapter 26 - The Cruel Queen's Thesis

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **Abit late on the release, sorry about that! Happy reading folks!**

"You can come out, girl. The game is up, you've been caught." Esdeath loudly announced, carrying Tatsumi tightly in her arms. Despite Tatsumi's body calming down, he hadn't awoken yet. This was expected, Esdeath's instincts had informed her of what she needed to know about her lover's bodily condition. He would be fine for now. Allowing Esdeath to place her attention on the figure that laid in wait in the shadows, at the alleyway. "If you don't reveal yourself then I will simply drag you out, by the roots of your hair."

Expectedly, considering Esdeath's reputation. The girl slowly walked into the light, fists clenched, hard and tight. She looked somewhat familiar but Esdeath couldn't put her finger on it. Gently laying Tatsumi down, creating a small bed for him to rest on, from her Teigu's power.

Esdeath walked closer towards the girl, as to inspect her properly. She didn't have a lot of time to waste, especially considering the fact that she had scheduled fitting the dresses and suits for an earlier time than the reservation itself.

"Now, present your name to me, little girl. I doubt it'll be one that I know already but you seem familiar." Esdeath confessed earnestly, regardless, she would have already drawn and raised her notably sharp sword in the young girl's direction.

It wasn't a crime to be out late as this, considering the curfew wasn't for another two hours, but Esdeath wouldn't be above killing the girl for the crime of spying. "Do be quick, I'm rather busy and I cannot miss my reservation."

"...We've met before." The girl replied, clenching harder than before. However, Esdeath wasn't fazed. Surprised, yes, but she wasn't overly shocked. Naturally, Esdeath didn't put an excessive amount of effort in trying to recall the faces and names of the people that she met.

Especially when they could be dead before the next encounter. So, unless they took a considerable amount of relevance in Esdeath's life, they were forgotten and blown off into the wind.

Sharp contrast to her behaviour with Tatsumi and Makoto, Esdeath took absurd lengths in trying to familiarize herself with the two of her boys. And when she had discovered another wonderful piece of information about them, and how they lived their lives.

Esdeath would absolutely not allow herself to forget about it. She had already memorized practically all of Tatsumi's favourite dishes and obviously knew how to make them for him.

She wasn't above stalking him in private either to obtain results, correctly acknowledging that Tatsumi may not reveal everything about himself when asked unless she followed him more intimately without his knowing.

"Have we really, girl?" Esdeath countered back, questioned and then wondered. She herself was pretty unsure that they had. The girl directly in front of her looked as if she had been dragged through bushes of thorns then back through some more for good measure. Filthy clothes, unkempt hair and bruises across each cheek.

Deathly pale, with sunken green eyes filled with hatred but eerily quiet, too quiet.

"Aah, I know exactly, who you are now." Esdeath's neutral smile became suddenly very giddy, grinning widely. Lowering the longsword that she held, fixing the other hand back unto her hip. "Tell me, girl. How are your parents, hm?"

"They're dead, Ice Queen. They were murdered." Inori responded bitterly, clearly grieving even now but she'd receive no sympathy from Esdeath. "That's truly unfortunate, I had hoped to keep them alive... Just a bit longer for Tatsumi."

"Tell me, how did they perish?" Aside from Esdeath's unsympathetic attitude, she'd be otherwise eager to learn of the circumstances behind their deaths. Considering she controlled the laws and the people charged with carrying out, said Law.

Esdeath would feel responsible if it was revealed that she played an unexpected hand in cutting the string that held their lives in place. "They were murdered by Revolutionaries. Apparently, they saw us talking with you in the street and must've assumed we were important to you."

"So, they wanted to hurt me, hm?"

"Well, I'll give them merit for their cunning ways, but that's all they'll receive from me." The revelation did nothing to stop Esdeath's existing smile, in fact, it'd grow wider than before. For once, Esdeath wasn't responsible for this particular tragedy, completely innocent at that, and she was immune from the scorn of Tatsumi.

She could use this, Esdeath thought. If Tatsumi had more evidence to believe the Revolutionary Army weren't as honourable as he had originally, it could be instrumental in converting him to her ways and the Empire proper.

Perhaps, this would call for a few false-flag operations. She could dress some of her more fanatical members in her Military up in Revolutionary Garb, and point them towards hapless villages that were beyond the Empire's reach, then when the corpses turned up.

Frame it as if some Revolutionaries had gotten desperate and raided the village for supplies. The bodies of the "Revolutionaries" would serve suitably for evidence against the Revolution, leaving Tatsumi no choice but casting them aside in disgust.

"It's pleasing to know that, for once, Tatsumi cannot pin this awfulness on me." Esdeath sighed happily, then she reaffirmed herself and began walking towards Inori with murderous intent. She had opted to simply finish the girl off herself considering the girl's guardians had already perished. To Esdeath, no girl as young as she was, should live without a parent present.

Selfishly, Esdeath believed the same of Makoto, she would rather see him dead with her own deceased self than to live without either one of his parents by his side. For her baby to be raised by another person, another woman, not of the same blood, was blasphemy and unthinkable.

"Now, be a good girl and present me your head... If you needlessly struggle, I won't be able to remove it from your shoulders without making a mess of you." Sadism, woven deeply into Esdeath's eyes and smile, Inori began to slowly retreat.

Stepping backwards, realizing that she was outmatched by aeons, Inori paused when she felt the presence of others hidden nearby. "The steady character development that you've recently received through the death of your parents ends here, little girl. It is the fate of the weak to die by the hand of the strong...!"

Then, Esdeath felt it too.

Quickly pausing in her Darwinistic speech, Esdeath's eyes honed straight to the location of the oncoming intruding party. From the looks of it and the attire they wore, they were vengeful remnants of her work in the north, five in total. All male, standing in wait on the rooftops above.

She had previously buried thousands upon thousands beneath the cold snow, yet still, some foolishly refused to accept the harsh reality that they were never going to be more than crimson red stains on her boots in the end. The only person comparable to her level is and always would be, Tatsumi.

But, as like usual, Esdeath was more than willing to refresh their failing memory. Turning the focus of her attention away from Inori and to the would-be Assassins that sought to put a swift end to her life. Raising her loyal weapon once more, Esdeath readied herself for a fight.

She hadn't fought in a proper battle for quite some time, thus relished the chance to decimate and flaunt herself over the insects before her. "I'm a very busy woman today, so come at me all at once!"

Sending a wide volley of blindingly fast ice spears in their way, Esdeath leapt upward to meet their elevated level on the rooftops, but not before raising a dome barrier around Tatsumi. This was soon quickly proven to be a good choice on her part since hurling arrows snapped and bounced off from the dome. Shot from the wooden bows of the Northern Assassins.

They had been shots, that if not blocked, would've penetrated Tatsumi's skull and vital organs for certain. They were trained and honed Assassins, they possessed impeccable aim.

Observing this, and correctly recognizing that fact, Esdeath snapped violently.

Completely discarding any pretence of fairness and honour.

The one that she had correctly identified as the Leader of the group soon found himself met at the sides, by two imposing tall Ice Golems that rose up from the very tiles he'd be standing on, they spoke no words. Instead, they immediately cleaved the Leader's hands clean off with their sword-like limbs. Causing him tremendous agonizing pain, but this was just the start of it, his anguished screams broke the cold silence of the battle with the first blood being spilt.

Frailing and thrashing around wildly, his violent motions were halted when the Golems moved to finish the job they had started. Taking ahold of his arms and legs at the sides, each Golem did their part in pulling them.

 _"Aaaaaaaah-Aaaaaah!"_ The Leader cried out, howling helplessly.

His comrades could only watch in horror at the sight, two of them bravely mustered the courage to attempt a rescue. But it was utterly pointless, arrows did not effect whatsoever on the thick crystalline armour of the Golems.

And, due to the extreme shakiness of their bow hands, they accidentally hit their leader several times in trying to free him. Undoubtedly causing him more pain, considering the poison coating they had applied to their arrows. Acknowledging they couldn't save him through destroying the Golems, the other Assassin attempted to bring the source of their Leader's misery to its end.

Patiently waiting for their pathetic attempts at an attack, Esdeath readied herself as she stood on a risen wide pillar of ice that she had formed. The Ice Queen had already opted to turn his "Battle" into a bloody massacre, demonstration even when they decided to target Tatsumi instead.

For what it's worth, Esdeath was previously perfectly willing to play fair and avoid going overboard with her Teigu, provided they had kept their attacks directly focused on herself but they had crossed a bloody red line when they choose to kill Tatsumi.

The arrow was launched, Esdeath observed it as if it was moving in slow motion. Enabling the Ice Queen, the ability to catch it mid-air before returning it straight back to the original sender. Lined with ice, she had managed to pierce the man's left eye.

Causing the arrow to be stuck, lodged inside it. It hadn't gone straight through the skull, as she intended, and neither landed where she wanted it. Esdeath had intended for it to hit straight between the man's eyes, but it wasn't all that bad.

The person in question was currently trying to pull the arrow from his eye socket, failing and wasting his energy by screaming at the top of his lungs. The sight alone lifted some of Esdeath's mood, considering how hilarious she found it. When the fun was over and done with, Esdeath decapitated the head from his shoulders with a simple flex of her wrist.

Using the fearsome kinetic energy built from the action, and the force behind it to do the deed itself. Observing his body hit and slide down from the roof, closely followed by the decapitated head.

"Now that's over with, allow me to clarify something in particular." Esdeath lightly coughed into her hand, straightening herself up properly.

"...None of you that remain will be leaving here alive, so pray to whatever deity you've made up in your heads. I will not let you escape me, mark my words." Esdeath hissed, ignoring the pleas of mercy from the Assassins.

Esdeath finished the captive Leader with one loud snap of her fingers, signalling her loyal Golems to break apart the man they held at the sides. Since they were equal in power and strength, the Northern Leader's mangled body was practically symmetrical, one straight line down the middle.

The Ice Golems discarded the gory bloody remnants of the man they had just torn apart, leaving his body to slide down from the roof. The collective spluttering arrow pierced organs, cracked bones fell with them.

Close observation wasn't needed to tell that he had suffered greatly from the drawn-out torture, his twisted spilt facial expression was evidence enough for that matter. The look of abstract horror fixed in his wet bloodied eyes.

"Two down, and three to go," Esdeath noted, nonchalantly mentioning this as if she was just writing a shopping list up. Meanwhile, Inori was observing every moment in complete silence, utterly shaken from the horrific reality that was the Ice Queen Esdeath. The horror and pain that she carried with her wherever she went. To Esdeath, killing was simple, normal and not to mention, very fun. Just as easy as breathing out and in.

Inori realized, exactly why Tatsumi had taken great pain to distance himself from her and his friends. Avoiding contact at every turn with Inori, refusing to reach out. He wasn't selfishly trying to hide away, or refusing to acknowledge the pain of his friends that missed him. Inori didn't consider Tatsumi's defection to be betrayal.

 _He had been trying to protect them._

Inori had already heard of the horrific deeds that Esdeath had done, but now, she was actually seeing it in the flesh. The stories told, didn't do any justice to the true monstrous entity that Esdeath was.

And just like everyone else, Inori was stunned, confused and terrified by the fact that somebody so twisted, evil and cruel could look so eerily beautiful. So graceful, the remaining three stood no chance against Esdeath.

She dispatched them one by one, leading them in circles through misdirection and parrying strikes, toying with them until the fun had ended. In which, Esdeath impaled them by the sword, through certain areas that she knew would cause the most agony before the bitter expiration arrived. Intending to watch them squirm, withe and scream in the sweetest of agony.

Inori herself correctly acknowledged that Esdeath was willing to play fair until they had targeted Tatsumi, she saw how Esdeath's eyes had faded and become two pits of animalistic primal rage when they attempted their ill-fated assassination.

Inori realized the stupidity of trying to take Esdeath, head-on. Without a plan, so like she should've in the first place, she simply ran away. Ran, ran and ran. Running through the alleyway that she had come from originally, trying to ignore the blood-curling screams that filled the cold freezing air around her. Feeling the Ice Queen's gaze, even now. Then, they stopped.

The screams had died away, and she was alone. She had run through the streets ahead until she became worn and ragged from pushing herself to the very limit.

She was alive, but why was that? She had been allowed to escape when the Assassins themselves were mercilessly killed, cut down into pieces. Then, it became clear. Touching her wet chest, she realized that she was bleeding from the palm that felt the fabric being covered thick in blood. Seconds later after pulling the ice dagger impaled inside her out, Inori collapsed on the street and bled out in silence.

After the battle turned massacre, Esdeath scoffed at the awful pathetic performance that was given by the would-be Assassins. Dismissing the waiting Golems, Ice structures and the cold spears that she had impaled them with.

Esdeath leapt back down unto street level and allowed the dome to vanish away. Gazing into the sleeping expression of her boys face, Esdeath sighed heavily.

"Honestly, if they think to target you, Tatsumi... Then they should expect what happens next." Esdeath referenced the assortment of mangled bodies that she had left in her stead, partly amused by her vengeful state of mind whenever danger loomed over her mate.

Lifting him, Esdeath positioned Tatsumi so that he was being held by the waist. Dangling upright, Esdeath pressed Tatsumi's head directly into her busom, intending to rid herself of the horrible tension that lingered in her heart. Minutes passed, and Esdeath had finally been satisfied.

Freeing herself from the familiar painful sensations, Esdeath angrily recalled that, because of her failures in keeping him safe at her side, Tatsumi had fallen into two separate comatose states of differing length on two separate occasions. The first, shortly upon meeting Makoto for the first time and the awful second with his bout against the captured Death Tagool. There would not be a third.

She moved on with determined steps, after kissing Tatsumi tenderly on the lips.

Walking through the grim bloodstained street that she was responsible for. Making large strides for speed. Esdeath headed in the direction of the store that held their nightly attire, easily finding her way to it. Considering she had scoped the area out previously, she carried the shopping bags, too. The Ice Queen wasn't willing to part with her spoils, because of the annoying Assassins that she had dealt with, to save time.

Besides, Esdeath wasn't required to stick with the original plan, she could just as easily force everyone to adjust the unfair modifications that she made to it.

Tatsumi was beginning to stir awake, causing Esdeath to become very giddy in excitement. She recently felt nervous whenever Tatsumi slept, so her mate's cute light groans and gentle moans were heavenly to experience.

Quick as she was, Esdeath would've made it to the tailors somewhat earlier but she had stopped several times to pepper Tatsumi's resting handsome face with kisses. Considering Esdeath's sadistic urges had been very much quelled by the previous awful violence, all that remained inside the Great General was the undeniable urge to monopolize on Tatsumi affectionately.

This eventful date of theirs would go well, instilling the wonderful concept of innocent romantic love to their relationship was of utmost importance.

When they arrived, Esdeath immediately put Tatsumi down unto the nearest sofa. Shocking the serving attendants, who correctly recognized the Ice Queen instantaneously. They had been expecting Esdeath, but she hadn't turned up at the pre-arranged time, so they figured she had cancelled unexpectantly. Now, it was very clear that she hadn't.

Esdeath's uniform itself was relatively spotless, pristine white aside from the notable presence of dried blood residing on the tips of her white military boots. Pushing back some astray hair with a relaxed throw of her hand.

"We're short on time, you have what I requested?" Esdeath coldly asked, keeping her words short, expecting a positive answer and only giving a passing glance to the present staff before fixing her eyes on Tatsumi's strung out body. Watching him intently, waiting for their response. Esdeath would have to wake him up soon, else she would dress Tatsumi herself.

Like previously stated, Esdeath refused to proceed unto the next event without Tatsumi aware of his surroundings. "Yes, of course. Your dress is prepared, and your partner's suit has been finished on schedule. The waistcoat was the hardest item to design, my lady."

Acknowledging their important benefactor's coldness, they immediately shifted into gear and began attending to her wishes. Two female attendants brought the dress and accompanying high-heels, others placed Tatsumi's suit near the sofa.

Neatly sorted together in one bundle. Esdeath took her dress, closely examining it to see if it was up to the required standard. Eyeing the stitching and sewing patterns, when satisfied with that, Esdeath moved into one of the dressing rooms without delay.

Since she already knew nobody else that wasn't staff had already been escorted from the establishment, many minutes prior in preparation for Esdeath's arrival. The staff of the Elegant Lady weren't so lucky to know that Esdeath was arriving like they were.

Inside the dressing room, Esdeath examined the finer details of the dress further. Greatly pleased with it, she had specifically designed it herself with the assistance of professional tailors and highly regarded artists.

She had designed Tatsumi's suit, as well. Another horrifying but otherwise mellow testament to the absurd level of control that she held over Tatsumi's lifestyle, Esdeath refused to let her mate wear whatever he wanted. The very clothes on his body, brought by her for him to wear. His entire wardrobe, the luxurious comfort woven bed that he slept on, _everything_ came from and belonged to Esdeath.

Tatsumi's monetary wage that he received on regular basis for his "loyal servitude" to the Empire was mainly squared away to his village, helping provide food along with other desperately needed essential supplies and ensuring the soldiers stationed at the village kept doing their jobs properly. Improving the lives of the people depending on him, in exchange for giving his entire future and life away to Esdeath.

A fair and equal transaction, according to the Ice Queen.

The rest of Tatsumi's earnt wage was put into a savings account. Tatsumi had tried to spend some of it several times in the past, when Budo was alive and well, not splattered across Esdeath's Arena in pieces. Shortly after their first excursion, Guest-Starring General Agotian.

Unable to access the money without going through Esdeath first, and then she would interrogate him unto precisely, why, he'd be taking it out of his account. Tatsumi's reasons were usually valid and reasonable, at least to his perception of what was reasonable. Maybe to pass the time, he'd want to purchase some pencils for writing his thoughts on paper, or that he felt uncomfortable in his current set of boots because of their degrading condition through repeated usage?

Being constantly on his feet, least prior to his coma, always training nonstop in the Military Halls with the undisputed toughest combatant in the entire Empire was murder for his boot's soles. Leaping to avoid kicks, and landing to return them.

But yet, without missing a beat, Esdeath would counter this by metaphorically vanishing immediately from sight. Then, quickly returning with the item that Tatsumi had originally requested. The longest Tatsumi had to wait for Esdeath's expected return was no less than twenty minutes, at any given time. She'd return, finding him whenever he'd wander off too, and drop the desired item into her boy's hands then send him on his way.

The very worst scenario to come from this, and the reason why Tatsumi had stopped asking for his personal wage, full stop, was thanks to him asking for something in particular. As usual, Tatsumi got Esdeath's attention and asked for his wage. A reasonable amount of money from it, just enough to buy several boxes of expensive chocolate that Imperial Nobles usually ate in mass.

Pocket change for somebody extremely important like General Esdeath, the relatively small amount of money asked had profoundly intrigued the Ice Queen's rabid sense of childish curiosity. She asked, naturally, what Tatsumi was after.

Betrayed by his honest inability to lie, especially due to the intimate nature of his item. Tatsumi sheepishly relented, explaining his motivations in trying to acquire the money.

Stricken by the arrival of Makoto in the past, Tatsumi had become filled with a sense of adult responsibility at the young of just Eighteen Years Old. Of course, he wanted a family for himself. But, Tatsumi had never desired one with Esdeath of all people in the world, tragically, fate itself had dealt one bad hand of cards and forced them unto Tatsumi to accept. He had a son, that was gospel truth.

He _had_ to accept that, and Tatsumi eventually did in the end. Think about it, my dearest Reader. This is Tatsumi that we're talking about. He wouldn't callously hate, or even abandon the child from pure disgust in selfishness to save himself and his reputation.

Deep down, Tatsumi's better half would always come through and force him to face reality. For his given son, Tatsumi was determined to endure the boy's sadistic mother in her unrelenting attempts at psychologically breaking him, grooming him into the man that she wanted, to stay by his side as long as he could stomach.

 _Until the very destined day, he brought the entire Empire crashing down on its head and died with it._

The item that Tatsumi had sought was contraception, birth control, he intended to purchase enough to last for a week before buying more in bulk. He had to be sensible about this.

Tatsumi figured that buying contraception designed for the man in the intimate sexual relationship was the ideal route to take, considering that he really didn't expect Esdeath to be all that eager and willing to regularly take the preventative medicine needed on the prescribed intervals to avoid pregnancy. And oddly enough, Tatsumi felt sick to his very soul when he considered callously blackmailing Esdeath into taking it herself using his own body as a bargaining chip to get what he wanted.

So, male contraception it was to be.

Rubbers, they were called. Wave, being a few years older and questionably wiser than Tatsumi, had previously advised it to his friend. The Empire's Doctors had already developed contraceptive medicine many years ago, but as more important medical breakthroughs were made by the passing years. The standard base starting price of the vital medicine amongst others rose in kind, forcing the poorer members of the Capital's large population to stick with the earlier primitive methods available.

Or forgo it entirely, taking countless risks to their health in turn including death.

Despite Esdeath's constant reassurances to Tatsumi, that she had complete control over her honed body and what happened with it. Tatsumi still wasn't entirely comfortable with it, so he opted to press the issue when he managed to muster the courage for it. Normally, Tatsumi was fearless and brave when it came to speaking out against Esdeath's methods.

This happened before Tatsumi's sudden change in tactics, during the first weeks of his defection, so he had been way more blunt and upfront than he would've been now. So, when the words came out, reached Esdeath's listening ears.

 _She began laughing hysterically._

Uncharacteristic to a fault, General Esdeath was now giggling happily without pause. Wrapping both arms across the stomach to restrain herself as they both stood in the privacy of their Entrance Hall in the Palace.

Tatsumi stepped closer from instinctive concern as the woman's lover, only to cautiously step back when quickly conferring with his better judgement. Something wasn't right, not one bit. Esdeath had lowered herself downward, she was hunched over like a predatory animal. Obscuring what menacing expression was residing on her pale face.

The unnerving laughter stopped.

And Esdeath slowly brought herself up, widely smiling with bared teeth. Tatsumi's eyes were too slow to catch the slight notable twitch present in Esdeath's left eye. Dusting herself off professionally, then lightly sliding some hair away with the same hand. Esdeath kindly responded to Tatsumi's request but affirmed that she would select what was to be used.

For once, Tatsumi didn't particularly mind that condition, he had succeeded either way. Without another solitary word, aside from a very strict warning to be here when she returned, Esdeath walked off and left Tatsumi in short-lived silence.

Moving to sit down on one of the chairs in the room, and catch what was left of his breath. Tatsumi's slow stride was quickly interrupted by the loud ear-piercing crash of windows, brick and mortar being broken apart amongst other household luxury accessories. He could hear what seemed like metallic chairs and tables being tossed about, too.

This went on, for fifteen solid seconds without any pause before silence hit once more. He knew that nobody else would've heard it first before him, aside from Tatsumi and Esdeath, nobody else was even close to their level that lived on this particular floor. Just normal corrupt Politicians and even worse sadistic Military Officers that were eager to please.

The Jaeger's quarters was just below them on the previous floor in the Palace, but they had been away at this point in time.

Acting on instinct, Tatsumi ran straight for the location of the loud noises. Bashing straight through the clawed mark covered double doorway at the Entrance Hall, Tatsumi bolted down the long narrow corridor and into the crime scene room that Esdeath had aimlessly wandered into. Some poor pencil pusher's apartment, no doubt, Tatsumi thought.

The place was completely ruined, utterly in pieces and covered in ice by the chunk. Esdeath had torn original paintings apart with bare hands, smashed priceless vases, snapped expensive wooden tables in half and crushed the aftermentioned metal chairs into tiny bundles.

Tatsumi would later discover the "metal" chairs were in fact, made from the hide of an S-Class Danger Beast renown for its resilience and stubborn refusal to die. Lifting weights was usually one of Tatsumi's primary exercises in training in isolation, but when Esdeath accompanied him, she'd be infamous for pressuring him to lift way more than he was comfortable with.

Repeatedly egging him on with sweet words of encouragement to push past his limits, gloating at him to impress her by showing the weight who was in charge.

So, without a doubt, it'd go without saying the chair itself was absurdly heavy. No normal human would be capable of lifting it alone, without assistance and without suffering from major injury to the spine itself. Tatsumi figured that he'd be able to lift, but would be forced to drop it back down after ten minutes or so. But, Esdeath, she had crushed it like flimsy folded paper. He knew that she would benchpress that odd decorative piece of furniture for hours, yet crushing it was on another level entirely.

 _Simply put, she was beyond just pissed._

The wide view gorgeous view of the Capital's tiny streets that Esdeath had intentionally opened up to escape to them, breaking the apartment's outer wall demonstrated that, if not for the already chaotic scene already around Tatsumi.

The Ice Queen's treasured Ego, containing her self importance and perception of herself as a woman, was a truly delicate thing to hold in your hands. And Tatsumi had just shattered it with his careless request. To Esdeath, Tatsumi wasn't simply requesting alternative methods to avoid a possible bad situation because of their professional lives in case his partner's way of doing it unexpectantly failed.

Out of consideration for the two of them, but instead, pure malice. The tightly worn mask of sanity that Esdeath wore suffered a fracture, exemplified by the uncontrollable twitch that she suffered.

Beneath the surface and the mask itself, Esdeath was a very successful example high-functioning sociopath at heart. Fueled by the need for stimulation, excitement and new experiences. The only factor that was unique to Esdeath, was that she could feel and show genuine love.

Proper cold-blooded sociopaths were commonly characterized by their inability to love others wholeheartedly, whilst she poured it mercilessly unto Tatsumi in hopes of receiving the same warm devotion. The warmth in her heart, when she saw him smile and laugh was undoubtedly real.

Ironically, Prime Minister Honest that she had allied herself with, was the real sociopath between the two of them.

Shown by the callous abandonment of his flesh and blood son, his proud statement that heirs were easy to produce and in good supply. Contrast to Esdeath, who would gladly suffer one thousand painful soul-destroying deaths closely followed by one thousand more lifetimes of miserable agony to save Makoto from the Grim Reaper's deathly touch. Honest was very deluded in believing them to be the same evil disgusting creature.

True, Esdeath was evil and villainous to the core but she had standards.

The demon in human form known as Prime Minister Honest was just pure black evil, plain and simple. People used like pawns in chess, the sickest game of chess imaginable. The man constantly avoided death by hiding behind somebody that did not fear it but welcomed it instead. He lived freely in peace when he should have died in misery aeons ago The same misery that he gave to others, less fortunate.

It was contested in the Capital's oppressed populace, who was the real villain of this drama. Blaming fingers pointed in each direction, one had the unobtainable power to suppress them easily and the other did not. Relying on manipulated others to break and snap apart the countless fingers that accursed him of his many horrendous crimes into bloody piles of gore.

Esdeath's way of viewing the world around herself was very different from the boy she loved so much. That is why Tatsumi was trapped in the ambiguous situation he was now. He had misunderstood's Esdeath viewpoint, the way that she saw and rationalized things. Tatsumi's gentle plead for consideration in their intimacy was instead taken as a scream for distance.

As if Tatsumi himself was mocking and laughing at Esdeath's genuine desire to be with him and make him happy. Like she didn't deserve him. Or, to receive everything that she felt entitled to, contraception would create a metaphysical barrier between them that would not break.

Esdeath had psychologically convinced herself that Tatsumi knew that.

It had to be removed before it even began, she wasn't going to be deprived of Tatsumi's tender addictive love when it flowed inside with soothing warmth and youthful vigour. She had killed for this beautiful intimacy. Mine of Night Raid had been tortured, broken, beaten into submission then lastly murdered in cold blood to achieve this. Every last piece of evidence that linked the beautiful monster to this tragedy was erased, aside from Fate herself.

These awful events would endlessly repeat themselves, with different frightened faces filling Mine's blood-covered starring role as the chosen victim until Tatsumi gave Esdeath what she wanted.

Eternal love, to death and beyond.

Insane yet sane, that was Esdeath. A monstrous paradox, but also a lonely woman with longing feelings of love that wanted to be loved. Esdeath was helplessly and completely Tatsumi-Sexual. The karmic growing emptiness that festered in her heart as she wandered the busy streets of the Capital for a local pharmacy was palpable. The characteristic sounds of the scenery; merchants, husbands, wives and their children soon fell silent when Esdeath passed by them.

Trapped motionless in place but only narrowly spared from death, by the freezing cold that followed Esdeath whenever she went like a shadow that refused to let her go. She wanted it to stop but pressed on anyway. Hunched and silent like a doll, Esdeath's hollow eyes found exactly what she was after.

Grabbing at the immediate one she saw at first glance, missing it within' the first few attempts. Seemingly operating on low power mode, Esdeath took the square box from the shelf and examined it closely. Scanning the printed text, locating key-words that she knew of. When she was satisfied that she could intact the next phase of her plan with this, Esdeath left the pharmacy without looking back for a second.

Sadly, that meant she gave no consideration for the unfortunate Pharmaceutical Assistant, she had doomed to his demise by slow painful hypothermia behind the counter of the ice ridden store. The Assistant was already in the advanced stages of it, nursing a minor cold. He had originally opted to stay in bed, and now he wished that he had done just that as he died slowly.

Esdeath's eyes were obsessively trained on the tiny hole that she saw in the Palace's otherwise pristine structure. The same torn-up hole that she had left through, reflecting on the injustice that she felt was enough motivation for Esdeath to launch herself off from the spot where she stood on the ground. Decimating the streets around into a chaotic mess until roughly twenty-five yards of distance.

The violent explosion of dust that emerged from the launch spot, heavily mirrored an uncontrolled detonation of gunpowder. When Esdeath landed back inside the room that she had broken down, she was surprised to see Tatsumi standing in wait for her.

Eye contact was met, then aggressively maintained.

Tatsumi was profoundly shocked to see the current shaken state of Esdeath, being the complete opposite of the composed proud woman what she had left in. Esdeath's Military cap had miraculously stayed on but wasn't properly fitted. Tilted sideways, Esdeath herself had noticed this and resolved to fix it when she arose from the ground. Lifting herself from the crouched position she had slowed herself down with when she had come close enough to the Palace.

"Esdeath...?" Tatsumi asked from his safe distance away, cautiously. At the sound of Tatsumi's familiar soothing voice, Esdeath's neutral cold facial expression filled with life once more, with the same being seen with her eyes. It was then that she recalled, precisely why she had followed through with Tatsumi's request in the first place instead of merely refusing it as she had so many occasions prior.

 _A lesson must be learnt,_ she maddeningly repeated internally for the thirty-fifth time, Tatsumi would pay dearly for trying to enforce separation between them.

"I will never let you go, Tatsumi." Esdeath hissed ominously, then suddenly mellowed down in her tone. Taking the hand that wasn't holding the acquired box in its vice grip, so Esdeath's right hand, to compress the corners of her eyes gently with its fingers. When she was finished, Esdeath threw Tatsumi's present straight at him with an upright toss.

"Here, catch!" She encouragingly yelled, giddy and joyous. The muted smile Esdeath wore became a wide malicious grin of satisfying victory when Tatsumi successfully caught it like anticipated, the boy's alert eyes and head followed the direction of it's landing in the palms of his hands. "Hey, you didn't have to do that-"

His visible cold breath was lost, when Esdeath used the distraction she had made to land a perfect straight kick into Tatsumi. Moving forward with the fierce brutal kick, Esdeath knocked Tatsumi flying helplessly from the place on the ground, hurling him through the enforced wall behind him and through the next. At the moment of impact, Esdeath had sighed lovingly in bliss.

Esdeath had stopped to pause to avoid losing herself in the aggression and injustice she felt, intending to follow Tatsumi when she fell down from the heightened state of mind she had come under. Regardless, she could see Tatsumi's disturbingly cute strung out body laying in the assortment of wooden supports and tattered torn wallpaper. Bleeding excessively from his forehead, having hit himself quite badly when colliding with the first wall, Tatsumi's body came tense and stiff like a brick.

But that wasn't all, Tatsumi's pupils dilated. His body's adrenal glands began producing absurd amounts of adrenaline to cope, manage and deal with the sudden physical trauma at his vital area, effectively ridding Tatsumi of his pain temporarily in a deadly exchange for lowered cognitive reasoning combined with his body's Acute Stress Response.

Layman terms, Fight-or-Flight.

And for once, against Esdeath, Tatsumi opted for _fight._

Esdeath's surprise was considerate when she saw Tatsumi practically pull himself up by his hair's roots using his shaking right hand, adjusting himself to lean upright. Hunched, blinking rapidly to rid the blood from his right eye that fell from his head. His eyes bore into the Ice Queen when they stopped, Esdeath had just planned to simply incapacitate Tatsumi using a destabilizing kick to the chest then confine him to their bedroom.

Then she'd teach him at length, precisely why she had been forced to hurt him, punish him and what he could do to avoid suffering the same reprisal again. So, when she observed the full extent of the damage she had inflicted on Tatsumi, Esdeath felt sick straight to the stomach. She never intended to hurt him that badly, Esdeath had clearly held back but that wasn't enough.

The very sight of Tatsumi's crimson red blood was horrible to see. She hadn't held back enough, Tatsumi wouldn't have penetrated the enforced walls in the violent fashion that he had done if she acted with solely rational thought, not feelings intertwined with them messily.

Let it be known that if Esdeath had acted completely on instinct, then Tatsumi wouldn't have penetrated the wall. The Ice Queen's heel would've penetrated his chest cavity instead, for that matter. Instantaneous death, no last bittersweet kiss of love or famous last words.

Hyped up on adrenaline, Tatsumi felt great, brilliant even. Practically as if he was trapped in a world that constantly attacked his eardrums with the music of his raging fiery soul. Stood upright with clenched fists, Tatsumi smeared himself across the face in his own forehead blood. Feeling the loss of important adrenaline in his system, Tatsumi restored it by violently bashing against his wounded chest with his fist, repeatedly.

Screaming with each hard pound, screams soon became enraged howls and roars.

The pain was agonizing to endure, but Tatsumi wasn't finished yet. In an animalistic rage, Tatsumi tore open his shirt to directly attack the wound to hype himself up for battle once more. The only word that could describe Esdeath's feelings at the moment, was, horrified. For once, she did not enjoy seeing Tatsumi reduced to the state of aggression and bloodlust. She wasn't agonizingly hot for him like usual, when he displayed primal traits in the midst of passion.

Tatsumi's current passion was largely different than the aftermentioned, this kind usually ended with somebody's face beaten in. Esdeath's desire to punish Tatsumi had evaporated at the second she saw blood streaming down her boy's confused betrayed face.

Tatsumi bared teeth, completely obsessed with the notion of murdering Esdeath in cold blood. The buried resentment had resurfaced, and there was nothing that Tatsumi's mind could do to stop it.

"I think it's about time that _you_ receive some tough love, huh?! If you wanted a pet to fuck with, then you should've just gotten a _fucking_ Partner that enjoys being the bottom bitch..." Tatsumi leapt ferociously at Esdeath, insanity woven in his narrowed eyes. Intending to beat the monster in front of him's face in. Throwing a punch violently forwards without holding anything back, the kinetic energy generated blew apart even more of the apartments around them. "...Because I've just had about enough of your petty stubborn possessiveness, you evil bitch! Could you just die already, damn you!"

Tatsumi screamed his words at the top of his voice, physically hurting himself due to the volume of his words. Esdeath effortlessly avoided the oncoming punch, hiding away behind her Military Cap. Distancing herself away from Tatsumi, with light steps but not retreating away completely. "Say something...! Fight back, come on! Come on, fight like the twisted loveless monster you are!"

"Playing the shy emotionless mute isn't like you, Ice Queen! Gloat, rant, monologue! Anything...! Least try to make this worthwhile for me, I want some goddamn satisfaction for once...!" Tatsumi acted on instinct and swapped up tactics.

Instead of putting everything into one punch, Tatsumi opted to throw countless punches at Esdeath instead to punish her for acting foolishly passive and refusing to finish what she started in attacking him. "You're a fair woman, aren't you?! If you claim to live for only me, then you can just die for me instead...! I swear, you'll never enslave me, again!"

At this, Esdeath finally countered back against the violent blood-smeared beast that had awoken inside Tatsumi. Weak by his words, Esdeath could only stop him by taking ahold of Tatsumi's wrist and lifting him up to eye-level. Trying to pacify him by calming him down, restricting movement would lessen the adrenaline levels in Tatsumi's blood and let it dissipate. Instead of simply giving up, Tatsumi applied a hard headbutt to Esdeath's forehead. Unintentionally coating her pale skin in bloody red, she dropped him from shock.

She wasn't injured in the slightest, currently experiencing way more emotional pain than physical, Tatsumi had hurt himself way more than she had on both counts. His head rang loudly in pain, blurring his blood-soaked vision heavily with the pain from the headbutt just pissing Tatsumi off even more.

Forced to growl hard to dissipate some of the agony that coursed through him. "...What's up, darling? Do your powers stop in response to heartache, huh?! That's funny, you'd have to grow a heart first to use them, then! Tell you what, you can have mine! You've already crushed it to pieces with that kick of yours!"

Realizing that, even if Esdeath was intentionally holding back in using the Demon's Extract, for whatever reason. She could still use Mahapadma to end the bout easily, but the part of that Tatsumi that wanted to die absolutely refused to allow that to happen.

The suicidally overconfident Tatsumi that was in the driver's seat intended to break Esdeath's reluctance to fight through constant verbal emotional torture fueled by his unleashed repressed hatred, hoping that with the willingness to fight him would be followed by the refusal to hold back.

Equaling his desired death, in a twisted awful call-forward to Tatsumi's actual suicide attempt in the near future in Esdeath's study.

"You aren't winning me back with your pathetic _empty_ words of love, Esdeath! The sappy romantic bullshit ends here, Kill me, now! I've had enough of you using "Love" as an excuse to abuse me!" Tatsumi continued, to avoid Esdeath's hand from grabbing him softly, he leapt away and retreated to the pile that he had risen in twisted form from.

Taking a thick wooden support in his hand, Tatsumi's mind put two and two together and decided that beating Esdeath into a rage was a satisfactory method of invoking what he wanted too, messily but suitable by all counts.

"I'm tired of being humiliated for shits and giggles, kicks and laughs! So, what part of killing me can't you understand, because if you don't, I'll burn this filth-ridden cesspool down to the ground, once I'm done feasting on your "Best Friend's" entrails!" Considering she had just been blocking and avoiding his blows, Tatsumi's twisted frame of mind figured that she could opt to take some hits in order to "calm him" down, but the Jaeger's frame of mind wouldn't allow for the job to be dropped halfway through.

This could only end with either himself dead or with Esdeath's own bloody demise. "Stop it, Tatsumi. I've heard just about enough, it's time for bed. If you continue, you'll hurt yourself."

She finally spoke words, knocking Tatsumi from his savage horizontal swing's momentum in his confusion at this. Esdeath's tone was hard, fierce and angry but apart of him felt that she wasn't exclusively angry at him. The whole situation itself was messed up, and Tatsumi knew that. With surprising grace considering the pain she had endured by Tatsumi's words, Esdeath snatched the blunt weapon from her crazed lover's bloody hands, knocking him back with one hard shove near his collarbone.

Intending to reclaim his instrument back, Tatsumi lunged straight at Esdeath with violent fury, only to stop when she snapped the makeshift club into pieces.

" _...No!_ How dare you, that's not fair! Fine then, I'll just strangle that _pretty_ thin neck of yours until you begin bleeding profusely from the eyes!" When Tatsumi's hands came for her neck, Esdeath leaned forward to accept them lovingly. The two wrapped tightly around Esdeath's neck, but she felt no pain from this, despite Tatsumi's genuine bloodlust fueled desire to break the neck of the person that held. _"...This is for everything you've put me through!"_

"It's a nice massage, Tatsumi, honestly. But you've had a long day, close your eyes." Esdeath's tone was hard and firm, once more. The sheer durability and power of Esdeath's neck shown by the fact she would perfect sentences without struggle, but Tatsumi kept effortlessly.

Annoyed by his inability to appease the fire in his aching heart, by sacrificing Esdeath to it. Five minutes passed, and Tatsumi's body soon ran out of adrenaline. His hands grew shakey beyond his ability to stop them, they slipped away from Esdeath's neck and fell down at his sides.

"It's over... I can't do anything at all against you." With his passion dead in its tracks. Tatsumi's legs gave out, causing him to fall onto his knees and slump straight into Esdeath's navel. The remnants of wet blood from his forehead lightly touched the fabric on Esdeath's skirt, but like Tatsumi to Esdeath herself, did nothing to tarnish the Ice Queen's uniform from it's beautiful pristine white. "Well, if it's worth anything... You gave me quite a scare, Tatsumi."

"And you're the only person to accomplish that, you know. Be proud, is that understood?" It was obvious that Esdeath was currently trying to steady herself mentally, considering she was shaken up from the recent ordeal herself.

The only person in the world that was capable of hurting Esdeath with just words alone. Least at this moment, in particular, considering Makoto was living Agotian at the time was Tatsumi alone. "Let's just start over, Tatsumi. Let's begin again, just the two of us. Let go of that hatred, let me inside you... Give into me."

When Tatsumi didn't reply, Esdeath grew worried and stopped stroking Tatsumi's hair tenderly. Bad move, Tatsumi's body fell sideways and struck the floor below at the head. Despite Esdeath's initial panicked alarm at him falling unconscious, it'd actually be a major blessing in disguise for Esdeath when Tatsumi woke up, two hours later in the day.

Wrapped in bandages in their bed when Esdeath had finished cleaning him up in the bath, Tatsumi had explained that he couldn't recall any of the day's events, aside from asking for the money to buy the contraception.

By the confused look in his lovely eyes, Tatsumi wasn't lying and that was further shown by his characteristically calm behaviour.

Using this, Esdeath successfully convinced Tatsumi that she had allowed him to do so, on the condition that they talk about its role in their lives in-depth later on, and he had retrieved them himself.

Intending to gain favour by alternating events to improve their relationship further in ways that suited herself primarily, she continued in her explaining by clarifying that Tatsumi's amnesia was a side-effect caused by a training accident that he had endured, explaining his wounds perfectly, too.

For an added bonus, using the cover of a training accident that was Esdeath's fault, justified going excessively overboard with affection to make up for it.

When the explanations were finished, Esdeath brought the ultimatum that she had been preparing since the beginning of this mess. Tatsumi was given two choices and only two choices.

That was it, they were no third option to be picked. Tatsumi could either settle on using the decided form of contraception, that wasn't completely guaranteed to stop pregnancy with one hundred per cent accuracy in every occasion but use it with the knowledge that Esdeath could easily tamper with the rubber when they used it to mate.

She demonstrated this, by poking seven separate tiny holes into one of the packets that she took from the box. A thin ice needle was all that it took, and Tatsumi's expression grew horrified with every hole that she prodded with childish amusement. The second option was the one that Esdeath largely infinitely preferred and the way that they had been doing thus far until Tatsumi's attempt at trying to become careful with his actions, due to their effects on the world.

The way that they would do it is to continue as they were, but at the conclusion of their lovemaking and fooling around in the sheets. Esdeath would do away with Tatsumi's mess, and Tatsumi had to trust that Esdeath would do that. Sadly, like before, Esdeath could just as easily lie to Tatsumi and birth his child without revealing it until the last second when the pregnancy began to show predominantly at the stomach.

Literally held at chokepoint by the sadistic choice she had give him, Tatsumi very begrudgingly relented to the wishes of Esdeath.

In the end, it'd be useless to try and resist. He kicked himself for believing that he could do anything to stop her from getting what she wanted in the end, to no avail. The extreme viciousness displayed by Tatsumi had shaken Esdeath enough for her to employ the services of a Teigu Doctor. She correctly summarized that Tatsumi's actions weren't completely motivated by his own feelings and the circumstances at play.

When the Doctor examined him during Tatsumi's sleep, he'd reveal the Teigu that Tatsumi had been using was adversely affecting his emotions by releasing the repressed emotions gradually. That explained Tatsumi's berserker rage, but Esdeath felt disturbed that Tatsumi was being affected by Incursio without using it properly.

When everything was said and done, Esdeath herself intentionally repressed the more shocking events of the day and easily pushed them to the back of her mind. She didn't want to live with the information that Tatsumi kept deep-seated hatred for her in his heart, the heart that Esdeath wanted to fill with nothing but love for her and her alone. She'd take no less than that.

Back in the present, Tatsumi and Esdeath's date had gone swimmingly well for the two of them. They were exiting the five-star restaurant, hand in hand, that they had eaten at through its decorated double doors.

The curfew wasn't anytime soon, so they had plenty of time to head back to the Palace without a worry in trying to wade and shove their way past all of the crowds of people rushing from the foreboding streets into their safe homes. The carriages driver patiently waited outside some distance away, past two alleyways.

The crime rate in this particular part of the Capital was low. They were moving together when Tatsumi stopped in his tracks. Momentarily dropping their bags by his feet, Tatsumi breathed out in frustration. Esdeath span around and looked at him in his eyes. _"...Why can't I remember her face?"_

"Is there something up, Tatsumi?" Esdeath asked, kindly and gently. "No, I'm just trying to remember something-Someone."

"If you've forgotten about them, Tatsumi. They weren't important anyway, were they?" Shot through the heart by Esdeath's words, Tatsumi was forced to breathe hard in frustration. The person that Tatsumi had unwittingly forgotten about, suddenly and without choice on his part was Mine.

When he recovered from his psychotic break and awoke in the Tailors, Tatsumi had realized that he couldn't recall the name or face, their importance to him of Mine herself. He knew that she was apart of Night Raid, but that was all.

He was confused beyond comprehension, unaware that his own mind had acted against him on its own accord. Realizing that thoughts of Mine pushed them dangerously to breaking point, they had simply erased and buried them in the cold of his subconsciousness. When questioned by Esdeath on this, Tatsumi explained that all he could recall was the weapon they had used in Night Raid.

Pumpkin.

The revelation forced Esdeath to keep herself calm and composed, but she wanted to kiss Tatsumi so much at this moment. She had won, and she knew it. The memories of the interloper had vanished from her mate's mind and his heart. She was dead to him, Esdeath was aware that Tatsumi hadn't engaged in a romantic relationship with anyone aside from herself and that pink pest. So, effectively, Esdeath was the only woman in Tatsumi's heart at this moment.

And that's how it'd stay.

"That's not the point, Esdeath. Besides, Mr. Partas? We aren't married, you know my name is Tatsumi Matsura. So what's up with that?" Adopted by his village as an orphan, Tatsumi was bestowed with the last of their village. Matsura Village. He didn't mind this at the start of his adventure to the Capital, considering the pride that swelled within' him about his importance to the village as it's chosen, saviour.

Whilst Esdeath's last name was Partas, Tatsumi knew this. She had already told him of their hunting clan, the Partas Clan and Esdeath's Father served as it's respect Elder before the man's demise at the hands of another tribe. The question of Makoto's full name was easily answered, Makoto Matsura Partas.

"Simple, husband of mine. We were happily married, in the future ahead of us. You married into my household, so you were made to take my name." Esdeath stepped closer to him and outstretched her hands affectionately to embrace him. Pulling him aggressively into her busom, sighing in bliss. "Then I bore you Makoto, our beloved son."

"Listen, I still think it's too early-" Tatsumi's completed custom-designed suit was creased from the tense close contact, it'd be stylish white suit closely resembling a tuxedo. Fitting him perfectly on all counts, Tatsumi had only just gotten over Esdeath's own dress to its unique design. She had tied her hair up neatly at the back, leaving the hair at her front as it was.

The dress itself was completely shoulderless, one of Esdeath's legs was revealed by the thigh spilt at reached the upper part of it. Ample cleavage was on display by the design of the front, the dress wrapped itself around Esdeath at the front tightly.

The opposite of loose, Esdeath's dressed perfectly presented the impossible hourglass figure that she had. Exemplifying every curve, and only succeeding even more with each confident sway of her hips. The usual choker Esdeath wore was present, without its accessories at the bottom.

"Early, you say? Well, I suppose it is. But don't think that'll stop me from feeling some pride over my future selves accomplishments." Esdeath happily embraced Tatsumi more passionately and drew greater satisfaction when Tatsumi's hands came around her slender waist.

She had greatly enjoyed their meal, and Esdeath knew that Tatsumi had done himself. "And like I've already said, I wish to overcome the failings of my future self and outmatch them in every way."

"It's not some competition, especially against your damn self. You don't see me, wanting to surpass my future self by pounding away at you to make babies." Tatsumi groaned, discarding his embarrassment momentarily to voice his thoughts. Like usual, Esdeath simply sighed happily at his words instead of realizing the craziness of her own. "Well, I'd be very wrong if I said I had an issue with that, Tatsumi. I don't see why you don't want to surpass your future's end."

"I'll decide my future myself. It's subject to change, Makoto's presence confirms that." Tatsumi earnestly confessed, they mutually separated from their embrace and began moving on.

Esdeath was very eager to return back to the Palace, their bedroom specifically. She enjoyed the feeling of gentle breeze against her skin, but Esdeath desired Tatsumi's flesh intertwined with hers more than that. True to that desire, Esdeath's heels were the only sound audible when they walked with quick paces.

They met no opposition in their movement through the deserted alleyways, Tatsumi had internally joked that it'd be ironic if they were both suddenly gunned down and left Makoto an orphan, he had read a Manga from Lubbock's bookstore about the same event happening to another rich couple's child.

Weeks passed on, Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army remained undetected by the greater Empire but realized they would eventually be found out when they cut down another of General Agotian's couriers. They had been sent by the tens, Fallhaven was located South-West from the Capital and naturally, Agotian was fighting at the Western Border with the Tribes.

According to the letters handwritten by the General himself, he had sustained grievous casualties was running low on supplies to keep the fight going on.

This surprised Akame and Leone specifically, they knew that Agotian was a fearsome fighter and sadist. Using beasts in combat to overwhelm his foes, he also had access to a Teigu which increased the man's lethality rating tenfold, they discovered deeper in the letter precisely why Agotian was getting his ass handed to him. The Western Tribes had reorganized themselves and were led by a new leader.

Suddenly, their fight wasn't so one-sided anymore and Agotian was at risk of falling short in his mission. The Revolutionary Army ordered Akame and Leone to stall the movement of the couriers as much as they could but told them to avoid contact with Military Carriages that were passing through the area to avoid the nearby mountains.

The weeks had gone well for Esdeath and Tatsumi, Makoto was now back with them. He had been released from his slumber by his Mother after three days past his parent's date. Naturally, Esdeath had informed Makoto of the cover story and strongly pressed him to keep with it. The little boy agreed, understanding why she had perfectly and obeying his Mother's will.

The three of them lived their separate lives, Tatsumi worked away at training his body further in his spare time and laying out the finer points of his master plan to destroy the Empire. Makoto resumed his studies, working hard to increase his understanding of the present world around him.

Great General Esdeath herself was occupied with discovering the reason for Agotian's lack of communication, pinning down Night Raid and surprisingly, she held talks with the women in her legion that had experienced Motherhood themselves personally. She opted to take their experiences in, and write them down for memorization.

Esdeath compensated them well for this, promising full closure of what they spoke about and no judgement whatsoever. When they took to it, Esdeath discovered herself less than pleased. She heard of a Mother that had gotten herself pregnant with another man's baby but had convinced the partner they were that he was responsible for it.

The two men were alike in appearance, so proving it was borderline impossible without a D.N.A test. Another was that this particular Mother had used breastmilk formula to replace actual nursing of her newborn, greatly aggravating Esdeath yet she did not show it.

By reading about it, and the fact that she herself knew of the benefits without being told. Esdeath was strongly against using formula to feed babies, especially her own. Breastfeeding was the Mother's duty, responsibility and reward.

The health benefits were written on paper and without a shred of doubt. She knew that babies that were nursed on formula grew up to be sickly and weak children, which by the healthy appearance of her own child was further proof that she had opted to breastfeed in the future.

Some time into the sessions, Esdeath stopped them entirely and simply went with reading books instead. Preferring it to hear about acts of infidelity and gross underhanded attempts at motherhood. Esdeath's notebook contained photographs of the women that she had interviewed, clipped unto the pages that she wrote on. Particularly worse cases usually ended with Esdeath writing demeaning words below their portfolios.

She must've written phases like _"Whore"_ several times already, and _"Slob"_ for some of the lesser cases.

Because of it, she had to begin using a quill instead. Pencils usually ended being broken, snapped into two from anger after the sessions. The torture chambers were filled with activity because of this, screams calmed the anger that Esdeath felt. She realized why hatred boiled in her heart at the lives of others because they were so unlike her own.

These women hadn't married the person they loved the most in the world, they were just being swept in the tide and pushed along instead of taking their life into their own hands. They didn't bare children from love, but obligation and to fill the void inside their hearts.

Speaking of children, Tatsumi and Makoto were currently together training on Mt. Fake. They had originally started their training session inside one of the Palace's Training Halls but Tatsumi had discovered something very important during the first few seconds of their friendly sparring.

It was that whenever Tatsumi tried to counter Makoto's punches with one of his own, he'd feel horribly sick to his stomach. Unlike, Esdeath, Tatsumi could not physically lay a hand on Makoto with violent intent for whatever reason.

Even friendly competition wasn't excluded from this rule.

In Tatsumi's defence, he opted to begin the training between them with simple games. Unknowingly fulfilling of his son's wishes, by happily tossing a thrown ball in his way for him to catch and return. They played together for hours, tossing balls and playing board games. Tatsumi and Makoto's favourite ended up becoming a Jenga-like game that was popular in the Empire.

Tatsumi managed to maintain an unbeaten winning three of games, he had realized that Makoto was too quick in trying to remove the blocks away with his hands and his son usually went for the ones that would likely collapse the tower but score good points for the risk.

But Tatsumi was patient, cunning and tactical.

Soon, Makoto gave up trying to remove the blocks and instead simply watched his Dad intently work away at removing the blocks. When he saw his Dad's technique, Makoto leaned forwards and gave it a go. Successfully removing one of the supposedly tricky ones, impressing Tatsumi greatly.

Receiving a gentle pat on the back for his patience, Makoto smiled in return and realized that learning the way that his father went about things was important to becoming a better combatant but also, without any mistake.

A better person.

"So, Dad. You did ask Mom if you could take me up here, you did take one of her horses." Makoto quietly asked, his Incursio strapped across his back whilst they walked through the canyon. Tatsumi simply scoffed. "Aha, of course, I did. I'm not crazy, I'd never go against your Mother like that, Makoto."

"...You didn't tell her about this, did you?" Makoto stated, emptily and unconvinced. "...Yeaaaah, I didn't. Christ, I'm so screwed when we get back."

"You are."

"But let's not think about that, let's keep movin' kiddo." Tatsumi encouragingly announced, upbeat and excited for the chance to fight alongside Makoto yet again. He had been pretty awfully knocked aside in their first encounter so apart of him wanted to redeem himself from that and prove that he wasn't somebody to scoff at. "Just be careful, trees and the like could be hidin' danger beasts. Mt. Fake's name isn't kidding about that, everything is hostile around here."

"I see, I'll stay alert and wary." Makoto nonchalantly replied, keeping his eyes on his Father's back to watch out for him.

"Come on, least try and convince your Dad that you're having fun, Makoto. I'll never take you anywhere again if you keep that cold act up, that includes the circus!" Considering Tatsumi was far away from Esdeath's cold gaze, he felt a lot like the old him.

The country bumpkin that refused to back down to anyone, they travelled for twenty minutes undisturbed before they arrived at their first encounter with the resident Danger Beasts.

Tatsumi recalled fighting with Wave at Mt. Fake, two years ago. Now like them before, Tatsumi and Makoto were surrounded by the hostile Tree-Type Danger Beasts that shrieked with horrible scowling expressions on their faces.

Fearless like his Father beside him, Makoto readied himself for the battle ahead. Summoning a massive greatsword built from the power that ran through his veins, Makoto raised it upward to the sky upon taking the hilt.

"This'll stall them, Father!" Makoto quickly acted, Tatsumi had already summoned Incursio on his body and watched the action that his boy was taking.

Using the sun's rays that had thankfully restored Tatsumi's tanned skin back to its former glory, Makoto blinded the snaring beasts using the bright reflection from the glacier weapon. Impaling the greatsword into the ground beneath him, Makoto followed his father's path and summoned Incursio.

Unlike Tatsumi, who could easily activate the Teigu on the fly without needing to fully activate it using the unlocking sequence.

Makoto was required to unlock the Teigu's power using the aforementioned unlocking sequence. The reasoning behind this were that Makoto's body was notably weaker than Tatsumi's own. Tatsumi had almost reached the end of puberty, so his body was developed for the most part.

Makoto could activate Incursio without the sequence, but it'd strain the young boy's body way more than if he simply played it safe. Since they were miles away from the Capital, setting up camp some distance away, Makoto's sense of logic compelled him to be smart.

He was with his Dad, this time, not his Mom who was trademark fiercely protective over him. He knew that Tatsumi wouldn't suffocate him, so Makoto was glad that he could have some sense of independence. Beginning the activation sequence, Makoto stabbed his Incursio into the ground and brought the weapon to life. The explosive wave that was released at that moment blew across Tatsumi, being able to stand his ground but saw as the Danger Beasts were swept across the canyon.

 _ **"**_ ** _INCURSIOOOOOO...!"_** Makoto cried out, channelling his Father in that instant. The gigantic avatar of Tatsumi's Incursio form arose from smoke that appeared behind the youth, shielding him whilst the energy flowed into him. Like when Tatsumi inherited the Teigu on the Emperor's Cruise ship from Bulat, the previous wielder's appearance would be the shown behind them.

The Teigu was passed down from user to user like a noble lineage, and now it'd be passed down through one bloodline alone.

Seeing the admittedly beautiful awakening take place, pride swelled and welled up in Tatsumi's body. Completely unable to stop himself from smiling behind his faceplate, when Makoto finished the transformation. His Incursio's armour appeared like the norm, perfectly covered in crystalline plating for added protection and spikes for the excellent balance of offence and defence.

The boy's crown shined radiantly in the sunlight, Tatsumi and Makoto moved together in sync when they glanced towards the oncoming hordes of Danger Beasts that had been blown away from all sides.

Taking his crystalline greatsword, merging it directly with his left hand's ice coverings to create a makeshift large sword-arm, downsizing it slightly. Makoto turned sideways to his Dad and spoke earnestly. "Thanks, Dad."

"...Huh, why'd you say that, Makoto? We haven't knocked these beasts down yet, save the thanks for later." Tatsumi laughed, playfully teasing his son but paused when the serious tone coming from the smaller Incursio Wielder.

He didn't quite understand why Makoto was saying thank you, but he let him finish. "I know that living with Mom... Isn't easy, and you might feel like you'd be better off if you ran away but, well, I'm glad you're here now."

"Hey, cut me some slack, kiddo. I'm not flimsy like the other stupid shmucks that serve her. I can take a beating but don't sweat it." Digging his feet into the ground, then leaping to avoid the first swipe of the day from one of the Tree-Type Danger Beasts, Tatsumi returned the sentiment by caving its skull with his foot when bringing it back down in a fatal downward kick. "If there's anything that keeps me by her side, then it's you... But if you tell her that I brought you over to Mt. Fake then we're getting divorced."

"You didn't bring me over here, Dad. You kidnapped me." Makoto replied, slicing one of the closer Danger Beasts in two. Pieces of blood and flesh resembling bark flew everywhere. "Hey, Parental kidnapping is a myth. I didn't kidnap you, Makoto."

"No, I went willingly but I didn't have a choice. It was either this, or we don't spend time together." Makoto leapt over to his Dad's side, ducking quickly enough to avoid Tatsumi's heavy sideways swing with his spear. They'd keep the conversation up lively, even in the heat of battle. "That isn't Daddy's fault, Makoto! Blame your damn twisted Mother! She's the one always taking my attention and stealing yours, with very real threats of violence may I add, y'know!"

Unable to avoid laughing hysterically at his own wit, they'd pause and drop their battle stances. Tatsumi and Makoto soon realized upon wiping the surrounding Danger Beasts out, that they had forced the remnants to retreated away.

The nearby landscape was laden with the ice that was released from Makoto's attacks, taking the moment to sit down, Incursio faded from their bodies. When Tatsumi did, Makoto followed and copied the action. "So, tell me... Why is it that you stare daggers at Doctor Stylish whenever you see him, Makoto?"

"Huh? ...Ah, well." The boy immediately pulled his legs up and placed his arms over them, his expression felt sorrowful but soon defaulted back to neutral. Tatsumi realized he had touched a nerve, but he knew the look of hatred and he couldn't stand seeing that face on his own son. "Sorry, but I need you to tell me, so I don't worry about you more than I have already."

"Don't get me wrong, Makoto. Doctor Stylish is a sick twisted bastard, a real nasty piece of work and I intend to kill him myself for my fallen comrades but I'm curious as you why you feel the need to do it yourself.

"Just leave it to me. You've got your whole life ahead of you, don't waste it." Tatsumi finished, greatly disturbed by the thought of seeing Makoto legitimately try and kill Stylish, considering the evil bastard always had an ace up the sleeve. "You don't understand, Dad. He's the one who killed you, I can't let that stand. His creatures are the ones that ruined my world, and took away my birthright."

"The life that I live now... That's what I should've gotten in the first place, but he took that away." For the first time, Tatsumi could hear the very hatred in the young boy's voice. Makoto had always kept himself quiet, but now the fire was woven in his eyes. "I should have siblings, brothers and sisters but all I have are bad memories. Nightmares, too."

"Wallowing in self-pity isn't my favourite past time, Dad. I don't like talking about my feelings, Mother didn't like it when I did that but now that's all she wants me to do." Tatsumi himself had wondered on the difference between the two Esdeath's, then again, it didn't take a genius to theorize what effect his own death would have on her already shakey psyche and questionable sanity. "She's clingy, Makoto, but that's all that she can do. Esdeath is in love with the concept of love, it's just that she can't express it at times. It's scary to think that I'm only where I am because she's convinced herself that she loves me."

"She does love you, Dad. Your death broke her completely, there's no question about that." Makoto strongly replied while feeling somewhat sad that his existence couldn't keep his mother's spirits up to the point that she enjoyed life, but he had come to know that Esdeath was the person that always wanted and desired more than what she had. Love-hungry, Esdeath was doomed to live her life in the constant relentless pursuit of Tatsumi's love and affection. One of the many reasons why Esdeath had become obsessed with siring Tatsumi's babies was that she considered children to be living manifestations of the romantic love between parents.

Innocent and pure, such as why she could not tolerate children born from unfaithful filthy affairs.

And like slightly Tatsumi, their lives would always be controlled by her possessive ways until she _considered_ them matured. To Esdeath, the ten-year-old Makoto might as well been a newborn baby. She considered him such, excessively doting on him beyond the level of comfort.

It was quite strange for Tatsumi to see, he knew that quite a number of Esdeath's legion considered their General to be overtly masculine in personality, whilst appearing very feminine in appearance.

For example, intense sexual desire was often seen as masculine in nature but Tatsumi himself did not openly show it as much as Esdeath aggressively did to him.

Esdeath herself saw the way she acted as being feminine with no question about it, she knew how to well cook and clean up the mess made. Prepare beds and set tables, when attendants weren't around to be ordered, Esdeath did a lot of the work herself.

Makoto's room, for example, was not cleaned by attendants but by Esdeath exclusively. So not being considered anything less than feminine was downright insulting to the Ice Queen, thus craved the feminine recognition that she would receive by the watching eyes at becoming a Mother.

"Uh-oh... Just great, hold that thought. Makoto, activate Incursio." Tatsumi pulled himself from his sat down position, straight back to his feet. Watching the waiting drooling horde of Dangers Beasts in the distance. Brushing himself off a bit, Tatsumi activated Incursio once more and prepared himself appropriately.

Makoto's original belief that his Dad had asked him to make use of his Teigu out of concern, was shot down when Tatsumi explained himself. "If you come home, beaten with your clothes ruined then I won't live to see tomorrow. Your Mom will make sure of that, so don't let me down."

"I won't, Dad. It's my priority to impress you, like I said." Makoto affirmed.

"No pressure, I'm not a judgemental guy. You've impressed enough today by simply beating me at the Block Pulling board game."

Filled with happiness over his Father's joking kind persona, compared to the tense excessive one that his Mother displayed at all times. Makoto gladly activated Incursio once more and forged two longswords in each of his hands from the Demon's Extract in his blood.

Merging them with his hands, yet again. Makoto had trained with numerous fighting styles, aiming to find his own style instead of copying his parents own. His current style was a pseudo-hybrid of the two of them.

The future Esdeath had trained Makoto in them both, being able to train him with the moves of his father. Mainly because of the years spent observing him in action, stalking put to good use.

"So, you ready for this?" Tatsumi asked, glancing over to his son. The Danger Beasts had temporarily retreated to recall their numbers but to summon the larger members of their collective into the battle in hopes of bringing down the two hunters that had invaded their rights on the land. They exchanged glances, smiling at each other behind the faceplates they wore. "Yeah, I think I am. Let's go, Dad.

 _"Alright, that's the spirit! Let's go!"_

 **Ok, self-fulfilling prophecy right there, I ended up using the Training Scene for the final scene in this chapter instead of the last, odd. Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Now before I continue, I have the apologies about my habit of suddenly leaving scenes and writing about the character's reasoning or feelings on certain subjects, especially if I've already written about the same feelings in previous chapters. I'd hate to make it feel like I'm constantly saying the same few things, over and over.**

 **That said, I do love writing particularly because I can explore that side of the characters and use this as a kind of character study in ways. So that's probably why I got the habit from. Also, plot resumes here! So you're free from Lemon scenes and chapters for quite a while, expect things to really kick up soon!**

 **Lastly, my usage of Grammarly seems to be paying off. I hope everything is clearer to read on your end, too.**

 **Thanks alot for reading my work, and make sure to review! It really helps, constructive critic is welcome too! (Just be sensible, duh!)**

 **Sayonara for now!**


	27. Chapter 27 - Prelude to Misery

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **Earlier than normal on the chapter's release, which is great as the last one was late! Thanks for reading!**

"Somebody wants to keep us trapped here, I can tell by the wound." Tatsumi quietly remarked.

Makoto saw it, too. The wound across the white horse's neck couldn't have come from a local Danger Beast, it was no deep gash from claws but a precise cut from a bladed-weapon. Intended to spare the animal from pain, while removing it from the world. Not only that, they'd be no signs of the horse being as a food source, least not yet. The sparse campsite they had set up was in ruins, too. Ransacked and destroyed, they had only crafted a small campfire and kept the food secure in containers buried beneath the ground to avoid the local beasts from getting to them.

Tatsumi had only intended to gauge Makoto's ability in combat, provide some pointers to improve and then leave.

But looks like they didn't have any choice but to remain here. They were both pretty drained from fighting against the Danger Beasts, and the distance from Mt. Fake to the Capital was considerate. Without any transport, it'd take at least one whole day to make it there with breaks and stops included.

The real irony is that if Tatsumi had informed Esdeath of his departure to Mt. Fake then they'd probably be home by now.

"You cold, Makoto?" Tatsumi turned his head over to Makoto, who replied by shaking his own. "I'm not, Dad. I don't feel the cold."

Tatsumi wasn't aware of if that was a boast or true, but he didn't want to bet on it. It was his son that was saying this, so he couldn't take risks. He knew that being exposed to the elements for crazily long was a surefire way to fall ill, and even worse was the reality of a wound becoming infected. Untreated infection could lead to limbs being removed to avoid the spread to the vital organs.

Night was on the verge of falling and if they didn't find a safe spot fast, then they would suffer Agotian's previously pre-destined fate of being devoured by the nocturnal Danger Beasts that hunted in the area.

Still, Tatsumi was very confident that he and Makoto could beat whatever Danger-Beast came their way with the intent to maim them, they made quite the team because of their similar ways of fighting and their reliance on using agility over raw power.

"Come on, let's find a cave that we can rest in. If we wait here, then we're just giving whoever wants us dead, more chances to make that reality." Tatsumi waved Makoto over to his side, and to follow him. They walked away from the campsite, taking what supplies they could that was still intact. In the meantime, they talked and conversed. Simple things at first, Makoto's curiosity to learn more about the man that was his Father was tremendous.

Whenever Esdeath had spoken to him of Tatsumi in the future, she always had kind words for him and the image that she presented to the young boy was that Tatsumi were descended from the very Gods as a gift for her and her alone.

The only human alive able to melt the ice that surrounded her beating heart and allow the warmth of the world inside.

When Makoto met Tatsumi, he was confused. The man was his Father but he didn't appear anything like what he had been told, but then he saw it. From day to day life, Tatsumi may have appeared normal and mild to the naked eye yet that all changed when Tatsumi fought in combat. The way that his Dad moved, countered and powered on. It was like his own, but different on all counts.

It was then that Makoto realized that he had been trained in the image of his Father to act as a pseudo-replacement for his Mother.

Normally, sadness would have welled up in the boy but instead, he felt happy. Happy that his Mother had loved Tatsumi enough to not want the boy's legacy to die out. Makoto was fully aware that in the bad future ahead, Esdeath had intended to leave only him behind in terms of children. A six-year-old Makoto had once asked why siblings were so taboo, only to receive an answer in the strangest of ways.

Esdeath answered him by explaining that Tatsumi, his Father's, mortal injuries were so grievous, that recovery of his seed in intact condition had been impossible.

When the Capital was attacked, even the Emperor's Ultimate Teigu wasn't able to win the battle over. Esdeath was forced to abandon Tatsumi's body and leave the Capital with her newborn in arms. Taking only those that could make the journey, when she returned hours later. Tatsumi's body was one of many strung across the Capital's destroyed streets. Men, women and children.

Caked in blood that was his own and of others, that was the day most of Esdeath's sacred ability to love died and never returned.

"Here, this'll do nicely. Let's see if we can make something of this bad situation." Tatsumi had found a cliff-face, and with two impacting punches from Incursio. He had paved a suitable shelter for them from the cold. Makoto assisted, helping to create a good amount of room for them in the cave by paving the jagged surfaces into smooth ones.

He continued working away by smoothing the rocky floor below so that they weren't uncomfortable when sitting down. When they were done, Makoto sealed the entrance to keep the heat in, by generating an Ice Wall.

"All done, Dad. That should keep us safe for a while until we leave." Makoto kept his eyes on the ice wall that had risen, not expecting to feel Tatsumi's hand lightly pat him on the back to thank him for his hard work. He wasn't bothered by this, absolutely not.

It'd be clear by now to Tatsumi that Makoto was in desperate need of Fatherly comfort. And being the nice guy that he was, Tatsumi would try and help with that. "Thanks, Makoto. I wouldn't have been able to do half of the job if it wasn't for you, but we did it all."

Tatsumi pulled the rucksack from his back and began laying the items from it out inside. It was relatively warm inside the cave, and making a fireplace wasn't smart unless they wanted to choke to death. The room was practically airtight with a gap at the top of the ice wall for oxygen to come in, so they'd need to add some greater spots of air to add a fireplace.

They both weren't bothered by this, being used to living in rough conditions.

"Here, take some food, Makoto. Eat as much as you want, we don't need to ration this."

"We'll do some hunting tomorrow down before we set off and we'll be back at the Capital by dinner time." Tatsumi encouragingly said, trying to avoid looking like a bad parent that had caused his son to experience hardship by his inability to plan ahead.

That said, Makoto didn't blame Tatsumi for any of this. In fact, he relished the chance to spend time with Tatsumi longer than what they had planned. "I don't blame you, Dad."

"Huh? What you mean, Makoto?"

"I kinda expected this to happen, you know. There are people in the world that want you dead." Tatsumi internally cringed at the reminder that not everyone appreciated his continued existence, but nodded regardless. "Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm used to it by now but it's still hard to take in."

"When I was fighting the Empire, it was easy. Because it was us that were doing the sneak tactics, now I'm fighting against people who employ the same ones I did." Tatsumi sighed heavily, talking away without one care. "Least the Empire had the balls to come at us straight up, I can respect them for that."

"Anyway, enough about that. I can't risk you snitching on me to your Mother because then I won't hear the end of it." Tatsumi said with an accompanied bout of laughter and sat down against the wall behind him.

He had managed to pick one of the blankets they had taken up, the other had been torn to shreds with some form of knife. Rendering it completely unusable, when Makoto had finished eating the fruit in his hand, Tatsumi signalled him over with a wave of his hand.

"Here, take this. This blanket's still in good condition, can't say the same for the other one, so you have this one." Handing it over to Makoto, the small boy refused to take it and instead sat down with Tatsumi at his side. Leaning against the wall, and realizing Makoto's intent, Tatsumi couldn't help smiling in pride before moving to throw the blanket over the two of them.

Then they slept, minutes later. Makoto's sleeping head fell into his Father's shoulder and rested there.

Hours passed into the night, with the Ice Wall being cut down effortlessly when midnight came.

In the earlier hours, during Tatsumi and Makoto's initial time in the Training Hall. Esdeath had been working away in her office, as per usual. Assisted by only Captain Torres, considering Lieutenant Rogers was currently away on sick leave.

She had been getting close to discovering the secret to the strange mystery of the Revolutionary Army's sudden disappearance. At the peak of Esdeath's frustration with having to review reports, excitement made itself known.

The double doors to the decorated office suddenly opened up with a slam, and General Agotian came rushing through them. Immediately dropping what she had, and ignoring the surprised shriek from Torres. Esdeath smiled eerily warmly and looked in Agotian's direction. "I wish you'd knock, Agotian. Does privacy not account for much these days, hm?

"M-My deepest apologies, Great General...! It's urgent, I swear!" The once-proud warrior had been reduced to a snivelling sycophant in front of Esdeath. She hadn't held back in his torture, at the eclipse of Budo's ill-fated coup when it was his turn to scream.

He appeared unmarred on the outside, but Esdeath knew that behind the imposing armour that he wore, were scars upon scars from what she had done to him in the Torture Chambers. "It better be, Agotian. Tatsumi and Makoto are currently in the Training Halls below us, and I'd rather want to be aware of things that happen around me."

"Not only that."

"But if I don't find whatever you've come to be about, satisfactory to my liking then I suppose we'll be spending more time together in the Torture Chambers, won't we?" She finished, adjusting the cap on her head with a clear sense of smugness in her pose. Esdeath relished the way that she could walk over Agotian now that she was Great General, they were no longer peers but Commander and Subordinate.

Putting it simply, he was her bitch.

"Captain Torres, you are dismissed for today. Find yourself something to eat." She dismissed Torres without a glance, but with one wave of the hand. "As you say, Great General. Have a good day."

The Ice Queen straightened herself up and prepared for the fun ahead.

"Now, what is it that you've come all this way for? You could have just sent forth a courier to deliver a message, Agotian." Esdeath mused, flipping through reports and shimming through what she had already read with her eyes.

To Esdeath, sending a courier was the obvious way to go about things and she saw no reason for Agotian to make the trip himself unless there were no way around it. "That is because every time I wrote letters for you to receive, I'd discover my courier's bodies laying across the roads near Fallhaven."

"Bandits?" Esdeath nonchalantly asked.

"No, absolutely not! They were guarded by the Elite of my unit, the cream of the crop! No simple bandits could possibly kill my best, and my best beasts!" Whilst, Esdeath assumed this to be a way for Agotian to save face, it wasn't until saw the look in his eyes. That knew that he was telling the cold hard truth, and then stood up after pulling away from her chair. "And I suppose not even Revolutionary's could deal with them, either. This war of Attrition has made them, weak and sloppy."

"I see why you've come yourself. I presume you met no opposition on your way over here, Agotian?" By Esdeath's tone, it was clear to Agotian that she was currently internally running the numbers in her head. Trying to come up with answers, answers to the questions that Agotian's words presented.

She emphasised this by placing a hand underneath her chin to think properly and keep herself upright. "Not once, my Military Carriage was untouched throughout the entire journey to the Capital."

"There we have it, they were trained Assassins. No question about it."

"Unlike with couriers, who they knew carried vital messages. They did not dare attack you, possibly due to the ambiguousness of the situation." Esdeath had cracked the question and felt relieved with herself. She glanced over to Agotian and continued their conversation.

Way more involved than before, greatly desiring to solve the mystery. "They must've known who you were, so they were no simple Assassins either."

"Then that means-!"

 _"Night Raid."_ Esdeath's neutral face became a victorious insane grin, she had found them. Night Raid's reliance on Fallhaven's relative unimportance had become their very undoing as whilst it had assisted them in staying hidden away from the Empire, they had betted on it way too heavily. For even with its unimportance, Fallhaven was still apart of the Empire and still under its laws and doctrines.

The fact that Fallhaven hadn't sent any messages to the other Imperial Cities nor traded with them, as another massive tip-off.

"I believe you should be rewarded, General. Now, what can I do you for?" Esdeath was all smiles, she lightly patted Agotian on the shoulder. A gesture that disturbed him more than it relieved him. "Come, let us inform the Prime Minister of this. I want to coordinate an attack, as soon as possible."

They left through the doorway, with Esdeath locking the door behind her up. Important documents were contained inside, that was not for prying eyes.

Esdeath enjoyed mercilessly torturing spies when she had caught them, red-handed, trying to break into safes and locked cases to acquire what was inside but she was busy currently and did not have time for such joy when she had a job to do.

 _Night Raid would be history, before the Month's end._

"My forces are diminished, supplies are low and the Western Tribes have reorganized themselves. They fight under different banners, now." Agotian explained when they were side by side. The corridor was large enough to accommodate for the General's large size and his Teigu on his waist.

The General knew that trying to save face by lying about the odds was pointless, especially to Esdeath. "They use weapons that I have never seen before, and golems that slow down for no man or weapon."

"They were just savages until just weeks ago!" Losing his composure, Esdeath halted Agotian with a raise of her hand when she was done listening to his woes. "So, you're hardly to blame. I guess I was too quick in sending you away to remove their presence on this earth, Agotian. Like Night Raid, the very thought of them breathing the same air as myself and Tatsumi just annoys me."

"You will need Commanders to lead your troops, I'll employ the Three Beasts to serve at your side. When we are done with the pleasantries, you can help yourself to whatever your forces need to keep the fight going on."

"And by the time that you have dealt with the Western Tribes, Night Raid and the Revolutionary will be both gone, too." These words were music to Agotian's ears, not only did Esdeath take the blame for his own failures herself.

He was also being given three skilled Teigu users from Esdeath's personal legion along with that. Apart of Agotian legitimately held genuine admiration for the younger woman, even if what she had done to him in the Torture Chambers had replaced a lot of that sentiment with fear instead. "Brilliantly said, Great General. I will present the heads of the tribe's leaders to you, personally!"

"I will hold you to that, Agotian. If I hollow out their skulls, they can fulfil an assortment of decorative utilities. Candleholders, to name a few." Esdeath absentmindedly noted, when they drew closer to Honest's office for their talks.

Agotian merely let out a hearty chuckle. When the three of them reviewed the information they had gathered and Honest's own investigation into the location of Night Raid.

They had decided Fallhaven was the Headquarters of the Revolutionary Army and Night Raid combined.

As expected, Esdeath immediately voiced her very fiery intent on mobilizing her legion to reduce the walled city to ashes. She got no argument from Honest or Agotian, they each wanted Night Raid gone from their lives so they could sleep easier. That, and they knew that they would be flayed alive and shown to crowds if they went against her orders.

When the work she had set out to do, was done and dusted along with the additional duties that came with discovering Night Raid's hiding spot at Fallhaven, Esdeath opted to find Tatsumi and Makoto in the Training Halls.

She mused at the fact that she did not enjoy learning of the Revolutionary Army's survival, but instead how she internally craved their destruction on the primal level.

Esdeath noted that she simply felt living with her boys as a loving family was a better life than constantly fighting against insects endlessly.

If she wanted to fight, then that was easy to get. She couldn't acquire what she got from Tatsumi and Makoto in Arenas or battlefields. It was special, very special and she vowed to keep it close and not lose it. Ironically enough, she had done just then.

"Tatsumi...?" Esdeath spoke, sniffling the air in the Training Hall and picking up no scent of his own. Not even Makoto's that she knew very well, was in the air. Rage and indignation burned inside.

Unfair treatment, they had left the Training Hall and left no visible sign of their presence to clue her unto where they had left to. She searched everywhere inside the hall, everywhere. But Esdeath found nothing whatsoever.

"Where are you? ...Where are you? _Where are you?_ " Esdeath repeated, maddeningly. The urge to crush everything in sight was palpable and thickly strong in her body, but Esdeath relented.

She realized that in discovering Night Raid's whereabouts, had the effect of causing Esdeath to unwittingly turn a blind eye away from the two of them in her rush to arrange an offensive strike against the rebels and push them to extinction.

But once again, she had been left alone.

"This is unfair! Wrong! Why can't you stay where I want you?!" Forced to face the harsh reality yet again, that Tatsumi wasn't completely on board with her way of life. Esdeath slammed her leftmost heel into the wooden floor hard enough to penetrate it, and cause notable cracks in the surface around it.

Even when things were normal between them, everything seemed to go downhill quickly when progress was made in their relationship.

In short, a sign that things were getting good between them, eventually meant that same peace would end eventually.

Usually, by Tatsumi's hand, that wasn't something that she would let continue by any means. She would weed it out of him, mold him and his feelings until he couldn't stand to be away from her side. To do that required patience, and she had patience.

The deaths of Tatsumi's friends would surely cause him to withdraw and refrain from establishing emotional connections with those in his life that sought the same, in which she would monopolize him completely and rebuild his world in her own image.

Then, when all was said and done. Esdeath would become Tatsumi's best friend, his confidante, the shoulder to lean on and most importantly, his wife.

His only ally, in the entire world that sought his demise.

Esdeath breathed out and calmed herself down. "You certainly like discipline, don't you? Always putting me in this horrid state, Tatsumi."

"I won't forget this either, Makoto Matsura Partas. Picking your Father over your Mother is simply unforgivable." Without fail, Esdeath always addressed Makoto with motherly endearing words and phrases. "Darling" being of her favourites, so whenever she addressed him by his given name, you'd know that she wasn't in the best of moods with him and he knew that very well.

Without delay, she left the Training Hall. Intending to make effective use of her Danger-Beasts capable of flight to ensure that the hunt for Tatsumi didn't take excessively long considering Esdeath herself wanted to enjoy the rest of the evening with him.

She would scout the surroundings of the Capital, once the Capital itself was done and then go from there. She knew that finding Tatsumi meant finding Makoto, too.

The pair were already inseparable, Esdeath knew that Tatsumi's fatherly instincts were on the verge of becoming dominant in his mind.

It took a few hours of searching but she had located them. The presence of the Ice Wall that blocked that artificial cave was a huge giveaway but one that she had openly welcomed. Standing over them, Esdeath couldn't help herself from smiling at the sight of them sleeping together as they were. "My precious beautiful boys, let's get you home."

An hour passed, and Esdeath put Makoto and Tatsumi to bed. Makoto had awoken shortly upon Esdeath discovering their location at Mt. Fake, so he had been able to ride alongside his Mother on the Danger-Beast that she had given him as a present.

A notably younger beast than the one that Esdeath rode herself, it shared the boy's curious mentality. But unlike his Mother's relationship with her own mount, Makoto didn't need to enforce dominance over the creature to control it, instead, they worked together with it in harmony.

Training wasn't required, he had already been taught well in making use of flight-capable Beasts.

In their luxurious bed, Esdeath and Tatsumi slept. For good measure, she had placed soft restraints on Tatsumi's wrists and legs. Fueled by the previous lingering feeling of indignation that she had felt.

Tatsumi had stayed asleep for the entire journey back to the Capital, oddly enough. That didn't bother Esdeath much, she intended to keep Tatsumi out of the loop when it came to the recent news of Night Raid's location being discovered.

If everything went well, Night Raid would be dead by the time Tatsumi could even try and do anything about it.

In his grief and anguish, she would care for him. Lay all of the blame on Night Raid for not being strong enough to live past their faults, and ensure the future that she wanted.

A happy future.

The night quietly passed by, wind blew calmly outside, Esdeath held unto Tatsumi's body from behind him. Spooning him lovingly, her face buried into the crook of his neck. Arms snaked across him, pulling him against the warmth of her chest.

The room itself was cold, completely pitch black dark and silent. Silent, if not for the quiet murmurs of Tatsumi in his slumber when Esdeath unconsciously squeezed him too hard in her sleep, sleep that was disturbed when the audible sound of a door being unlocked and opened.

Eyes immediately open, and alert.

Esdeath's body stiffened up and became unable to rest until she had resolved whatever intruder had come into her nest. Perfectly fine with killing them with a flick of her wrist, and resolving the matter of the corpse in the early morning light.

That is until Esdeath realized the sound hadn't come from the front of the bedroom at the doorway to the Entrance Hall but instead at her side, in Makoto's bedroom.

Esdeath's killing intent immediately vanished, dispersing away. Facing the direction of Makoto's room, she saw her baby standing in front of his door in complete silence, his head lowered down in possible shame with his body language indicating that he was currently very shaken up.

He hadn't come out for water. Makoto had everything he needed in his own room, she knew that.

Wearing the blue cotton pyjamas that she had brought for him. Makoto, for all of his maturity, carried a brown soft teddy bear in his arms, clutching it tightly for comfort. That was it, she could take no more than this. Staring straight at him, Esdeath hardened her tone but kept herself quiet to avoid awaking Tatsumi up.

"Come to Mommy, Makoto. Come on, come over here."

She already knew what was up, he had a nightmare and was currently struggling with the reality of it. He was a child, plain and simple.

For all of Makoto's maturity, he was just a kid and the horrible experiences that he had gone through, were something that nobody of his age should have. Eventually, his age would catch up to him, despite Makoto's desperate attempts to grow up quicker than expected of him.

Esdeath breathed in relief when Makoto finally moved from his spot, she watched him in silence as he crept over to the end of his parent's bed and slipped under it. Esdeath separated away from Tatsumi and allowed Makoto to squeeze into the middle of them.

When he was in place, with his head against a pillow. Esdeath's arms came around her baby strongly and didn't let go. Kissing him gently on the head. She was wearing a plain shirt at medium length, Esdeath halted every single one of Makoto's attempts to speak.

Shushing him at every turn, she knew that he wanted to clarify himself or to explain what had gone on. Desiring to save face, and avoid looking like, what he was, a child.

Madly enough, Esdeath refused to allow Tatsumi to rest without some level of intimacy being shared between them. To this end, she kept a leg stretched out to keep it connected with his own. Minutes passed by, and Makoto wasn't falling asleep.

This annoyed Esdeath, she wasn't willing to fall asleep herself until she knew that her baby had done first. Then, Esdeath recalled something very important from a book she had read previously upon deciding that interviewing others for their experiences on raising children wasn't great for her mental stability at any rate.

Spinning Makoto's body around so that he was facing her own, Esdeath pushed her boy's head against the leftmost side of her chest. This was so that Makoto could properly hear the beatings of her heart as she felt him lovingly, and it was working like a treat.

She had read that whilst in the womb, in the last few months of pregnancy, fetus's would be lulled asleep by the sounds coming from the Mother's heart.

A lullaby of sorts and Esdeath had opted to test it out. She had read that on some occasions, even after the birth had taken place, it'd still work.

The falling eyelids and gentle murmurs of sleepiness of her son were all the evidence that Esdeath required, grinning madly with glee. Esdeath breathed out in bliss and kept Makoto close by.

Waiting for him to finally fall asleep, and when he did, he was so out of it that he could be seen drooling on the pillowcase he'd be resting on. Forever hooked on the faces Tatsumi and Makoto wore when they slept, Esdeath kissed her baby's forehead softly and then threw the covers back over them further to fall asleep herself.

The next afternoon arrived, Agotian hadn't moved out from the Capital just yet. Ordered to stay positioned in its walls, until the evening of the next day. Esdeath was currently sitting in her office, currently briefing the Three Beasts on their new responsibilities.

They were to serve Agotian, on loan, of course. She still had plans for them, once they were finished dealing with the Western Tribes and their leader.

"As of today, you'll be serving with General Agotian in his mission to eliminate the Western Tribes. The Western Tribes have become quite a nuisance, we underestimated them and they've begun to bite us back for that error in judgement." Sitting on the end of the desk, one leg folded over the other. Esdeath huffed a bit in displeasure when she finished speaking words.

The Three Beasts were stood opposite her with straight firm postures, waiting patiently for their Leader to continue. "If you have questions, voice them now. General Agotian is waiting for you in the Military Staging area outside of the Palace, he'll brief you on the plans ahead and of course, introduce himself to you."

Nobody said anything until Kraygarr stepped forward, seconds later. Abduin and Nash clearly confused by this but stayed quiet.

"I do, Master Esdeath." The proud warrior exclaimed, keeping his hands folded behind the back.

"Oho, is that so? Go on." Esdeath's surprise was considerate, but she didn't refuse Kraygarr's request. She was fair to a point, and Kraygarr had served her well thus far. The aftermentioned warrior immediately dropped to his knees, and lowered his head in respect, then spoke. "While I would love to bring justice to the Western Tribes for the Empire, I simply cannot stomach being away from the Young Master and being unable to serve as his bodyguard."

At this moment, Esdeath's office became bitterly cold. Signalling the others to leave with a slow-motion of the hand, keeping a hard gaze directly on Kraygarr. Considering the freezing temperature of the room, Nash and Abduin weren't going to reject a command like that.

They left as quickly as they arrived, leaving only the Ice Queen and her loyal servant left.

"Is my request not satisfactory, Master?" Kraygarr lifted himself upward, only to receive a firm push back down from Esdeath's hand when she stood up from the desk. She kept her hand fixed on his head, ensuring that the floor was all he saw. "Is the cold in the air not enough for you to see that it isn't? You were placed as Makoto's bodyguard for your skills, I never said to forge a close friendship with him."

"The only male influence Makoto requires is that of his Father. You are not needed in that vein, Kraygarr."

"So if you continue to overstep yourself then I will be forced to kill you myself." They'd be no reluctance in Esdeath's words, deadly serious like usual when dealing with important matters.

"I can respect your reasoning behind wanting to stay in the Capital, but it's not needed... I'll tell you why you deserve that much." It'd be now that Esdeath removed her hand from Kraygarr's head, mockingly knocking it to the side with it when she was done. Taking her place at the chair behind the desk in the room, Esdeath began leaning against the palm of her hand whilst keeping an elbow on the table.

"You see, everyone in the Capital currently believes that I adopted Makoto from the remnants of a destroyed people. That I kidnapped the boy, performed all manner of gruesome plastic surgery to have him resemble me physically and then brainwashed him into resembling me mentally." Kraygarr knew the story, but he had begun suspecting more than that, even if Esdeath wouldn't have been above performing what she had said in reality. "But that couldn't be any more far from the truth, you see. Makoto is my child, my biological child. I don't believe you've heard of a Teigu known as, Chronos Key, correct?"

"Only in legend, Master. It is a myth, where I come from." Kraygarr responded, alert and wary.

"As it should be, but I will tell you. The Teigu is no myth, Makoto originates from the far future ahead of us. One, where you and everything else dies."

"How is that-" Kraygarr, overwhelmed and shocked spluttered out. "I'm far from finished, so shut up and listen to me."

"Makoto is the result of my hard work being rewarded, and he has come to the past for my sake alone. A family tragedy is fated to happen, he is an only child to my future self. The future Esdeath that had to endure life without Tatsumi in it." The words of the Ice Queen allowed Kraygarr to understand more of Makoto's personality and his general detachment from reality. Why Makoto wasn't "up-to-date" in the happenings of the modern world, like himself.

They were both outsiders. "So, as you can tell. I do not want to put unnecessary risks on my chances of having a happy future, the one that I deserve."

"I-I understand, Master. I will assist General Agotian in the west, as you command." Kraygarr was slightly shaken up but mostly relieved to know that Makoto was his Master's true heir. As such, he didn't need to worry that Esdeath would discard him away from boredom, considering he had already seen that she was a woman of maternal love.

The happiness in his heart was cut short when Esdeath spoke once more. "Oh, and mind you. If I see you conversing with Makoto when you should be attending to your duties, then I'll have you killed without trial. Try to remember your place in the world, Kraygarr."

"Yes, of course. I will stay focused, at all times." Kraygarr nodded, absolute and firm.

"That'll be all, be on your way. Rejoin the others in the staging area." Shooing him away, Kraygarr left without another solitary word.

When they were done, Esdeath leaned back and breathed out heavily. Mixed feelings swirled inside the Ice Queen's heart, pride and annoyance. Naturally, she was proud as a Mother for Makoto's ability to forge connections and friends.

Like his father before him, but she didn't like it either way. She hated it. Tatsumi's own social prowess was one of the primary reasons why she had to destroy Night Raid completely, due to the fact that they were some of the only ones alive that could sway her mate from his place at her side.

It'd only get worse for her if she had to eliminate Makoto's friends in a similar fashion, too.

Make no mistake, Esdeath adored the parts of Makoto that were so very Tatsumi but at the same time, she felt conflicted when reminded of the very real possibility that Makoto could leave her in the same cold way that Tatsumi had tried to do so many times prior.

A gilded cage of love was still a cage in the end. Esdeath spent the remainder of the day preparing for the final confrontation with Night Raid. Clinging desperately unto the hope that if she was able to erase both Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army in one swift stroke.

Then Tatsumi would be forced to succumb to the love that she felt for him, it was written into history, he was hers.

The morning of the next day arrived, and Tatsumi had already made his way to the Canteen to have breakfast with Wave. It was early, six in the morning in fact. Stretching herself upon dressing into her uniform, Esdeath walked over to knock on Makoto's door.

He was usually awake by now and dressed, morning lessons with his tutor started in twenty minutes time with short breaks in-between certain topics to avoid confusing the poor boy. She knocked once, waited patiently for fifteen seconds then knocked once more.

No answer.

"Sweetie, it's time to get up. You'll be late for your lessons, darling." Esdeath's motherly tone seemingly had no effect on the boy behind the door.

He was in the room, she knew that. Esdeath knocked yet again and gently placed a hand on the doorknob to open the door slightly. Then she heard it, a loud spluttering hacking cough.

Makoto's entire body was hidden by his covers, he didn't want to be seen in his current state. Throwing the door open, Esdeath stepped forwards and loomed over Makoto's bedside. In one swoop, Esdeath scooped Makoto up and wrapped him in the bundle of covers that he had thrown over himself.

"Shhh, you should've said something, dear." Esdeath's plans for the day were put on permanent hold, she intended to bring a portion of her legion away from the safety of the Capital to the region near Fallhaven.

So they could set up base camp, ready themselves and ensure that they could keep tabs on the activities of their enemy but now it seemed like it was not to be. Makoto had fallen ill, and Esdeath's maternal instincts refused to entertain the notion of working when he wasn't feeling one hundred per-cent.

It wasn't all that bad, she could simply delegate the responsibilities of setting the Forward Operating Base to the Jaegers. They were respected enough for it to be a relatively simple mission for them to complete, besides, they hadn't received a proper mission for quite a while. The matter of searching for Night Raid had been a mission for the entire Empire to undertake, so they no longer acted like a secret police force.

"Come on, let's get you checked out." Esdeath adjusted her baby's position in her arms, so she was supporting him by the bottom of his legs. Esdeath opted to gain a Doctor's opinion on the state of Makoto's health, acquire medicine to remedy his condition and then pull Tatsumi from his current activity so that he could assist in Makoto's path to recovery.

She knew that Makoto would be more at ease in the presence of both his parents, so that's what she would do.

Esdeath was confident that she could leave the transference of duties and mission directives to Captain Torres, she respected the young woman's military devotion and intended to capitalize on that same devotion to make her own life easier. Carrying the tightly wrapped Makoto in her arms, Esdeath carried him out of their quarters and into the corridors. She arrived first at Makoto's scheduled classroom and informed the shocked tutor of her ill sweetheart's absence, leaving immediately afterwards.

Then came Torres, who she encountered in the same corridors whilst Esdeath moved to the Imperial Doctor's office, she wasted no time in handing the girl what she needed to know on paper inside an envelope and left within' the same instant.

The Imperial Doctor examined Makoto's state of health, watched like a hawk by the mother in the room, he verified Esdeath's original thoughts and explained that Makoto was suffering from a nasty aggressive viral infection, from exposure to the elements and to combat the infection, his body had become stricken with a fever to aid in dealing with it.

He provided anti-inflammatory medicine to be taken orally with water and recommended the usual healthy amount of rest.

The increase in temperature was very odd for Esdeath to see, especially when she would've dealt with it by usage of her Teigu. It was then that Makoto explained, exactly why he wasn't able to use the Demon's Extract to cool his body down, it wasn't a Teigu.

The ability to use and manipulate ice itself was genetic and completely a part of his body. Thus, affected by his state of health. Esdeath's children would be blessed by the innate ability to channel her powers from birth.

Esdeath herself was practically immune to illness, Makoto's state of unwellness was mainly due to Tatsumi's genes but the Ice Queen wouldn't have had it any other way.

Thirty minutes passed, and Esdeath arrived back at her quarters. She had decided to give Makoto some of the prescribed medicine, swap his sweat ridden clothes for flesh clean pairs and pull Tatsumi over to them.

She figured that if she didn't act fast, then Tatsumi would follow Wave along in his duties but she would not allow that to happen when Esdeath required him here.

"Here, place the tablets on the tip of your tongue then drink and swallow together." Esdeath had just dressed Makoto out of his uncomfortable clothes and put new ones on him. They'd be sitting on the end of his bed together.

Handing him chilled water gently, she had seen his hands shaking so she knew that he'd be likely to drop the glass if not careful. "It'll be a while until I can change your sheets, so you can sleep in Mommy's large comfy bed whilst you rest."

He nodded slowly and sipped the water having swallowed the medication, placing an arm around his tiny shoulder to pull him close and tight into her side, Esdeath nuzzled the top of his head with her nose and tenderly kissed him to comfort him. "...Thanks, Mom."

"Think nothing of it, darling. I was sick to my stomach with the thought of not being able to be your side when you fell ill for the first time." Esdeath kept the pressure that she had on his side, and placed her another hand directly against her boy's forehead.

Only very lightly using her Teigu to cool him down, and by the quiet breath of relief she heard him release, it was working very well. When Makoto finished the glass of water in his hands, Esdeath gently took it from him and placed it somewhere on the floor.

"Up you go, let's lay you down somewhere warm while I grab your Father." Lifting him straight into her arms, Esdeath carried him from his bedroom and into her own. Shifting the pillows into more centralized positions, sliding him underneath the covers and paying extra attention to ensure that no part of his body below the neck was exposed to the air.

For once, Esdeath's mad obsession with ensuring the two people that she had affection for were looked after, wasn't such a bad thing considering Makoto's condition had stabilized.

With the finishing touches placed, leaving a glass of water by his side and a frozen towel at the end of the bed.

Esdeath begrudgingly left Makoto in peace, heading straight towards Tatsumi's perceived location in the Cantina.

In the Cantina. Wave and Tatsumi were together sitting side by side, discussing their separate relationships. Naturally, Wave had way nicer things to say about his own than Tatsumi did about his own if you could call it that.

Sipping coffee, Tatsumi was almost envious at the sheer normalcy of Wave and Kurome's relationship. The only thing that was shared by both relationships was the gap in age.

Wave was in twenty years old, and Kurome was sixteen herself. But neither minded it much, Kurome knew that good men were hard to come by in the Empire, so Wave was a diamond in the rough.

"So, you still butting heads with the Commander, Tatsumi?" Wave joked, chewing on his bagel.

"You betcha, she was furious with me when I took Makoto to Mt. Fake... If you class furious, as waking up with your hands and legs in restraints, that is."

"You know, Tatsumi. Some guys here would kill to be in your position, count yourself lucky." Wave's continued joking demeanour only received a hard stare from Tatsumi, who knew exactly what Wave meant. "Well, Uhm, they'd be crazy too. Isn't that right, Tatsumi? Aha."

"I suppose. Still, how's Esdeath taken to your relationship with Kurome?" Tatsumi asked, genuinely curious. "I can't say for sure, but I think we'll be fine as long as we keep it out of her sight."

"Be careful, Wave. Just because fraternization laws are jackshit to our relationship, doesn't mean you can get off that easy yourself. I don't doubt that she'll bring the full force of the justice system on your unsuspecting head if she catches you making out with Kurome in the corridor." Tatsumi's advice was the truth, himself and Esdeath were officially Leader and Subordinate but they ate together and shared the same bed.

The only reason why Tatsumi hadn't been carted away to the nearest Military Prison for breaking Military Conduct was for the same reason why Esdeath hadn't, because she controlled everything and was able to dismiss any accusations of unfairness with her might alone.

Wave wasn't subject to that bubble, Esdeath held affection for him but unless Tatsumi was involved. She always put the Military first and Wave would suffer greatly if he went against her conducts. The only saving grace of Wave and Kurome's relationship is that it was balanced, unlike Tatsumi and Esdeath whose relationship was built on dominance and submission.

"Thanks, Tatsumi. I'd ask that you put a good word in for me, but I doubt even you can sway Esdeath over in that regard." Wave's demeanour was less joking now but he'd keep his spirits up. Taking his friend's advice in stride. "I don't want to lose any more friends, Wave. You mean a lot to me, so let's keep our heads down and work together."

"Yeah, you're r-" Wave moved to reply, but the audible sound of loud cacking heels stopped him. Everyone in the Cantina, man and woman, fixed their eyes on the cold presence of Esdeath when she walked over to the spot her mate was residing at. Moving behind him, placing the two of her hands possessively on his broad shoulders, she kept silent in hopes that he'd turn around.

Tatsumi didn't, keeping his vision on Wave and hoping to continue their conversation without Esdeath's interference. She didn't usually bother him during breakfast, at least when he was allowed to share it with Wave instead.

"Think you'll have time for a sparring session, later on, Wave? I want to deepen my connection with Incursio, more power is something I need right now." Wave could see the swift change in expression on Esdeath's face when Tatsumi finished speaking, from neutral to elated. The grip on his shoulders became harder and tense as a result, but Tatsumi kept ignoring Esdeath and focused on Wave. "Oh, of course. If I have time, that is."

"Wave will be busy for the remainder of the day, as will the Jaegers. They have a very special mission to complete, Tatsumi." Esdeath chimed in, sliding a hand away from Tatsumi's shoulder to take a sip of his coffee.

Tasting him on her lips, she enjoyed isolating him from Wave and took childish satisfaction in derailing his plans for the day to shift them in line with her own plans. "Well, I can always come along with him... Aiding the Empire and all that."

"I see no reason why you can't-" Yet again, Wave was cut off by another loud sound. The sound of ceramic being violently against the stone floor of the Cantina, Esdeath had intentionally thrown the mug that she held away in response to the indignation she had been shackled with.

Refusing to be ignored anymore, Esdeath struck Tatsumi square in the neck, instantly rendering him unconscious from the blow alone. His eyes had been on Wave, so avoiding the strike was completely out of the question.

With Tatsumi's head falling on his empty plate, Wave's eyes locked with Esdeath's cold pair of blue orbs. "Was that really necessary, Commander?"

Quiet mumbles arose in the Cantina, and Esdeath pulled Tatsumi's slump body away from the chair upon pulling it out of the way. "I decide what is needed, and what is not. Remember well, Wave. I control you, Kurome and Tatsumi."

Sensing the hostility from Esdeath, Wave's body tensed up and became stiff. "If I judge that your closeness with Kurome is beginning to adversely affect your performance, then I will cut you two apart from each other and toss you into the wind."

Impressed that he was able to keep his eyes fixed on hers, Esdeath exchanged a dark dangerous smile back to Wave and left the Cantina behind her with Tatsumi in tow. Wave was only able to clutch his fist tightly in frustration at being held captive by his Commander's sick twisted sense of what was right and wrong in life.

He vowed to not let it stop him from pursuing a relationship with Kurome, hoping that Tatsumi was able to stay strong as well. They had developed a symbiotic relationship of sorts in the recent months, they relied on the other and supported their counterpart in his own personal struggles.

Secretly, apart of Wave wanted to leave the Empire behind him entirely and to head into early retirement from his life as a Jaeger. Taking Kurome with him, and hopefully convincing Tatsumi to come along with them for the boy's own sake. He knew that Esdeath was beginning to affect his personality, and soon he'd be unrecognizable as the person he previously was.

"You couldn't have just let me finish, could you?" Tatsumi bitterly groaned, glaring directly at Esdeath while being humiliatingly carried. "I can walk just fine, put me down."

"I will not, not until we've reached our quarters." Esdeath nonchalantly replied.

"What's so important, Esdeath? If you had told me, I'd have followed willingly, you didn't need to knock me out."

"Our baby is sick, Tatsumi. You caused that yourself by taking him outside to the Mountains, he's currently recovering in our bed as we speak." Esdeath surprised Tatsumi with her words, and naturally, he felt immediately guilty for his role in Makoto's condition if she were telling the truth. "...You're joking, aren't you? Come on, what is it really?"

"I wouldn't joke about my child, Tatsumi. You should be aware of that, I am not in the mood for jokes today." Convinced by her words and hardened tone, Tatsumi eased himself up and tried to make himself feel better about the situation. He figured the best that he could do is simply be there for Makoto in his recovery. "...I see, still, how'd he get ill?"

"Everyone gets ill, Tatsumi. It's natural and expected." Esdeath replied as if she was lecturing a child. "That's not what I meant, you know that. I mean, he's half of you... I've never seen you have so much as a sore throat, Esdeath."

"I have overcome sickness, but you have not. Because of your wonderful D.N.A making up half of him, it's clear that he won't be as protected as I am against worldly diseases." Esdeath clarified, leaving Tatsumi feeling rather stupid for not figuring that out himself. Having suspected Esdeath's traits would've overcome much of his own in Makoto's body. "But don't be sad, Tatsumi. Our babies are already beyond what it means to be human, they'll be gifted with everything they could ever want and so much more."

Esdeath's dreamy soothing tone of voice whilst absorbed in fantasies, only caused Tatsumi to regret being forced into the role of the Father for Esdeath's brood. "You can't replace love and care, with materialism, Esdeath."

"It's not my intent to replace motherly love with inanimate objects, Tatsumi. That's just bad parenting." Esdeath scoffed, partly insulted by Tatsumi's baseless accusation. Holding Tatsumi by his back and below the legs, she'd intentionally press his head against her chest to punish him, causing Tatsumi to pull his head away from the squishy mounds. "...You know, you're chest is way too big for you to move as quickly as you do, Esdeath. And I'm not just saying that."

"The size of my breasts shouldn't have any bearing on how quickly I am able to move, besides, they're only going to get bigger anyway." Esdeath scoffed, welcoming Tatsumi's comment openly. She wasn't ashamed or displeased with the size of her chest regardless, especially when she knew that Tatsumi had a preference towards her for them. "Wait, what do you mean? You aren't thinking of..."

"No, silly. You know that I frown on body modification, Tatsumi." True to her statement, Esdeath was all-natural in every sense of the word.

"What I meant is that my cup-size will increase regardless during pregnancy, to prepare for the task of caring for the life that grows inside me." Swaying Tatsumi around in her arms, Esdeath was on Cloud-9 just thinking of the future ahead. Tatsumi was less than excited about that, for reasons already stated. They arrived at their quarters, Esdeath putting Tatsumi back on solid ground moments later.

Dusting himself off slightly, Tatsumi immediately opened the door to the Entrance Hall and ran straight through it. Greatly concerned about Makoto's welfare, Tatsumi was relieved when he laid eyes on the sleeping form of Makoto in their bed. The water at his bedside had been drunk, and the cold towel folded up and residing on his forehead.

Tatsumi breathed out in relief while Esdeath began undressing out of her uniform behind him. Sliding away boots upon unzipping them, and unbuttoning her top completely before discarding it to the floor below. And doing away with her gloves. By the time Tatsumi had noticed that she had been removing her clothes, she was just wearing her black silk undergarments.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Tatsumi whispered in alarm, in which Esdeath simply walked over to him. Placing her slender pale arms below her breasts to emphasize them strongly. "I'm changing into something much more comfortable, Tatsumi."

"Comfortable, you say? Makoto is in the room, he's sleeping and you're going commando!" Keeping his hushed tone, Tatsumi tried to avoid the oncoming arms that held him close. Face crimson, Tatsumi tried to pull away but Esdeath's grip was relentless. "I cannot look after my baby in my uniform, it just isn't comfortable. Now if you're done with playing stupid, I need to finish getting dressed."

"Yeah, yeah. Honestly, somedays that's the only thing you wear." Tatsumi sighed, relieved when Esdeath let him go and began heading over to the closet. He'd sit by the fireplace, using one of the many chairs in the room to rest on.

Esdeath opened the closet doors and began searching for a suitable outfit to wear, eventually deciding on a fashionable cream turtle-neck sweater she had brought some time ago and black trousers with black pumps to go along with them.

Esdeath also opted to tie her hair up, taking a bobble from one of the closet's additional drawers. Like before, Esdeath simply tied it up at the back and left her fringe as it was. This was primarily because Esdeath didn't want to have to bother with her hair whilst she was preparing meals and the like for Makoto in his time of need.

Incredibly thoughtful, but only to the ones she deemed deserving of it. So, two people in total.

When she was done, Esdeath walked calmly over to her son's bedside and woke him up by lightly stroking his cheek. The Ice Queen's heart leapt in joy when she observed the gentle adorable flickering of boy's eyes, watching him shake away sleep's hold on him with the slow motions of his head. Taking away the towel from his forehead, and brushing aside the astray hair covering his eyes.

Kissing his forehead when it was revealed, Esdeath's kiss being lined with soothing coldness to ease the tremendous heat in his body.

"Uhhh, Mom...?" Makoto sluggishly spoke, he'd notice Tatsumi in the background and exchange a smile with his Dad when they met eyes.

"You're Dad's here now. Are you thirsty, hungry? You'll need something to keep your strength up, and if you don't drink then you'll get dehydrated." Well educated on the side-effects of a fever, especially one as horrible as the one Makoto was currently inflicted with, Esdeath wanted to ensure that Makoto didn't fall ill further by neglecting to keep his body well equipped to deal with the infection. "No... I think I'll just rest here, Mom."

She had expected Makoto's initial refusal but Esdeath would have nothing of it. "You're just saying that because of the fever. It's affected your appetite, you'll feel better once you've had something good to fill you up."

Taking his cue, Tatsumi walked over and stood by Esdeath's side. Nodding in agreement with the sound words she spoke. "You're Mother's right, Makoto. If you don't eat, you'll just get way worse than you are now. I don't think either of us could stomach seeing that."

Being pressed by the two of his parents, Makoto stayed characteristically quiet and proceeded to bury himself under the covers to hideaway.

"Oh, don't you even dare." Esdeath let a light chuckle loose and pulled the covers back down to reveal the ashamed face of her son. It'd be very clear to the two of them that Makoto didn't like having to depend on the help that he'd receive unconditionally. Only Tatsumi could relate, he himself strived to be independent and usually dealt with his own problems by himself.

To him, personal problems were called personal problems for a reason.

When Makoto didn't say anything else, Esdeath assumed full control of the situation by force.

"Then it's settled, I'll have the attendants prepare some mushroom soup for you and if it is not up to standard then I will simply make it myself." Like usual, Esdeath's word was law and Makoto having been raised for ten long years by the woman in front him, could not go against them.

That said, Makoto was thankful that this version of his Mother always had his best interests in mind and openly displayed the love she felt for him.

She didn't keep it locked up inside but wore it on her sleeve.

Tragically, that meant that Makoto was also well aware that all it took to reduce Esdeath from the very image of maternal love to a cold twisted Ice Queen was Tatsumi's fated death.

At first, Makoto merely wanted to create a future where his Mother got what she wanted.

But now, _it was personal._

An hour passed by. Tatsumi was sitting by the lit fireplace, Esdeath had moved some of the cushioned lounge chairs from the study into the bedroom. The reason why was fairly obvious, shown by Esdeath's current motherly action, which was resting in the lounge chair opposite Tatsumi with Makoto wrapped up soft blankets resting in her arms.

Book in hand, she was reading a story to him, one he had picked out prior.

The very sight of this disturbed Tatsumi greatly, he hated seeing scenes like this. The moments where Esdeath didn't seem like a such a twisted monster in human form, but instead like a woman that simply wanted to live in peace.

Peace she had denied a thousand others and condemned them to death and horrible torture. If only Esdeath wasn't renown for such cruelty, then it'd make the option of legitimately siding with her so much more agreeable.

The very thought that he himself would be responsible for the destruction of this blissful happiness that Esdeath treasured so much was almost too much to endure, but Tatsumi powered on.

He couldn't stop, the Empire had taken way too much from him for him to just give up and bow down to their rule. He'd make his departed friends proud, or perish trying to.

As long as he died in defiance of the Empire, that'd be enough for him. Tatsumi was content in leaving the heavy lifting to Akame if that's what it took.

His trust in her was unparalleled. Sadly, Tatsumi was locked from the loop that his lover was currently in the methodical process of removing the last pieces that she considered obstacles in her way. Tatsumi's devotion to destroying the Empire was perfectly matched by Esdeath's intention to rid the world of Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army then sire Tatsumi's children when everyone that could oppose her were eliminated.

Tatsumi would not back down, and Esdeath would not take no for an answer.

The upcoming battle could only end in tragedy for the two of them, their principles and beliefs were unshakeable.

The only silver lining was that Makoto was determined to prevent them from completely destroying the chances they had at love. Like previously stated, Makoto was the hope that inspired Tatsumi to work with the matter of dealing with the Empire differently, encouraging him to rebuild it without the deeply rooted corruption draining the Empire of its beauty.

People like Honest were perfectly content with letting the Imperial Nobles run rampant with their sick games if it kept him in control.

Without the appearance of Night Raid, Tatsumi would've simply become a victim of their sadistic vices, too.

 _Like his friends._

"Eyes front, Tatsumi. You look worried, what's the matter?" Esdeath knocked Tatsumi from his deep contemplative thoughts and drew his attention. "...Nothing I'm fine, I was just thinking to myself."

"About, hm~? You can tell me, in fact, you _will_ tell me. Keeping secrets isn't the sign of a healthy relationship, Tatsumi." Having finished the book, Esdeath dropped it slowly to the ground near the chair she was sat on and adjusted Makoto's position in her arms so that he was more comfortable.

Letting him sink into her body and feel the warmth she provided him. Intending to let him fall asleep in her embrace. "Just... What brought me here, Esdeath. The events and all that, you know."

"Don't think about them, Tatsumi. Think about the present, that's all that matters now."

"You matter to me, I matter to you and this little darling in my arms is the responsibility of both of us." Esdeath's mood became so very elated when Makoto sighed in contentment when she squeezed him affectionately.

Tatsumi desperately wanted to share Esdeath's joy, to be as happy she was right now was something to be desired. Tatsumi was torn between intense self-loathing and the need to escape himself. "I know what you mean, but I'm different from you... I just can't move on."

"Moving on takes time, Tatsumi. It won't happen today, but sometime in the future you will forget all about them." Esdeath's words were dripping with confidence, she was convinced that Tatsumi would soon forget about his life with Night Raid once they were fully out of the picture. "We're more alike than you realize, Tatsumi. You're a Predator like me, a survivor and a leader. That's why we go so well together, you and I."

The more Esdeath spoke, the more she began to make sense.

"That's why the thought of us making children in the future drives me insane with giddiness." Esdeath leaned further back against the chair she was on, and intently stroked the sleeping boy in her arms yet again. In turn, Tatsumi began slouching in his chair too, warmed by the heat from the fireplace near them. "The world is filled with loathsome individuals that survive only by drinking the nectar from the flowers that stand tall above the rest. Parasites, Tatsumi."

"Like I said before, the world could use people like us in it... Couldn't it?" Now Esdeath's eyes went from Makoto's sleeping expression straight to Tatsumi's own pair of green orbs. Staring hard at him. She wanted a positive answer from him, and he knew that. She wouldn't accept a refusal from him, Esdeath desired to have her way of thinking affirmed and supported by Tatsumi.

"Yeah... When I see you like this, acting as the perfect mother and the ideal wife..."

"I can really say that doesn't sound like a bad thing." Tatsumi's line of sight lowered to the floor at his feet, he'd be unable to look Esdeath directly in the eye while saying that, mainly because it was the truth. As much as he hated Esdeath and what she stood for along with everything she had done to him and his loved ones. He couldn't find himself being able to hate her when she behaved so damn innocently, Tatsumi guessed that it was because he was soft to behaviour like that.

Aria probably would've been successful in gouging his eyes out, if she wanted way back then if she had kept the sweet and gentle act up.

Seryu, too. He had managed to strike up a friendship of sorts with the Imperial Guardswoman prior to the revelation that she had been an irredeemable psychopath of the worst kind the entire time. Either that or Ogre's death had unwittingly sent the woman off into the deep end permanently.

"Aaah... Whatever did I do to deserve you, Tatsumi? We're going to be so very happy together." Sighing in bliss, Esdeath stood up slowly with Makoto in her grasp and began shifting towards their bed. Intending to put him to sleep where he'd be comfortable and warm, Esdeath drew the covers back with one arm with the other keeping a tight hold on him. She'd gently place him in the middle once again, and pull the duvet over him. Yet again, ensuring that no part of his lower body past his collarbone was seen.

When she was done, she'd lean forward and kiss him tenderly on the forehead. "Sleep well, darling."

Tatsumi watched as Esdeath came back over to him, and sat on the armrest of the chair that he, himself, was sat on. Crossing her legs and leaning against Tatsumi's side, clearly desiring intimacy with him. "Makoto will be sleeping with us tonight, Tatsumi. Fevers from Viral infections aren't highly contagious, with the right precautions, so you don't need to worry about getting ill."

"I wasn't worried about that, I'd welcome it at this rate. Like you said, I'm practically to blame for Makoto being in the state he is." Tatsumi confessed, clearly guilty about his role in it, despite not desiring it whatsoever. "Good, good. I originally intended to change his sheets with new ones and keep his door open for the night, but I just can't stomach the thought of that anymore."

"The bed's large enough for four people, at least. You're wrong if you think I have an issue with sharing it, with my own flesh and blood." Clarifying this sentiment straight out, Tatsumi felt pretty fine at referring to Makoto as his heir especially after the events of their Training Session. Esdeath's arm came right around Tatsumi's shoulder and pulled him into her waist, her nose moving seconds afterwards to dive into Tatsumi's hair. Sniffling him intensely and without pause.

Lust came into Esdeath's voice for the first time in a while. "...I want to eat you up so badly, right now."

"Let's find somewhere nice and quiet, Tatsumi. Somewhere where we can have sex without interruption." Esdeath's blunt nature betrayed just how eager she was at the moment, most likely spurred into action by Tatsumi's cooperative nature and the love she felt for him. The irresistible urge to please Tatsumi sexually was palpable, the Ice Queen's nethers had already begun to feel agonizingly tight and bitterly hollow without something, in particular, to make them shiver in delight.

"Esdeath, not right now. You said so yourself, Makoto is the priority until he's well." Tatsumi tried to argue against it, characteristically not wanting to distract himself from Makoto in his ill-state. "He'll be fine for an hour or two... And that's all I need with you, Tatsumi."

"I still don't feel comfortable with it today, Esdeath."

"Can we pass, just this once?"

"Are you going to refuse me, Tatsumi? Are you aware of what happens when I don't receive what I _need_ and what I _crave?_ " Sensing something big was about to go down because of his refusal to be intimate, Tatsumi tried to pull himself up from the chair, only for Esdeath to swing herself over and pin him against it by trapping him with her knees at his sides. "So, _are_ you?"

Glaring daggers into him, Tatsumi was horrified at just how quickly Esdeath's personality, wants and desires and everything else could change within' an instant.

When Tatsumi didn't respond immediately, Esdeath became tense and frustrated. Insecurity flared up and increased the burning desire to be loved and held by her mate. Placing her possessive hands to the sides of Tatsumi's head tightly, enforcing eye contact and keeping him looking at her. "You love me. Don't you, Tatsumi? Come on, say it."

"I love you...I do love you." Tatsumi replied slowly but startlingly quick, having trained himself to do so on command. "That's all you needed to say, now..."

"Why don't we have some adult fun?" Esdeath's smile grew eerily, she pulled Tatsumi by the waist up unto his feet and led him into the study where she had decided to pick as the spot they'd "Play around." in.

Broken by his continued inability to exist without being tormented by his other half's insatiable wants and needs, the irony is that countless faceless figures were more than willing to take Tatsumi's place in his situation and aggressively fought over who would inherit the spot of being Esdeath's lover when she finally grew bored of him.

 _That day would never come._

Esdeath herself did not like it when she had to coerce Tatsumi into being intimate, sexual or otherwise. It was tiresome and caused feelings of bitter insecurity to swell up inside her heart, but even with Esdeath's clear distaste for the brutal horrible act of rape.

She was unable to comprehend that her actions were closer to that than what she thought, of course, sex was largely consensual between them.

But the nature of the given consent itself was dubious and unclear in itself. The amount of leverage she had against Tatsumi was hefty, and in the months they had lived together as lovers, not once had Tatsumi asked Esdeath for sex.

Not even jokingly, considering she might've taken that for seriousness, too. In short, Tatsumi consistently felt obligated and compelled to play along with Esdeath's desires, as rejection would be met with harshness of varying different severities.

The cherry on top was that Tatsumi was slowly becoming equally addicted to the blissful intimacy they shared together on a nightly basis.

Tatsumi's last thoughts before the door to the study closed behind him were of the immense self-loathing he felt for being partially excited the upcoming hedonistic acts he was about to perform.

In the comfort of his parent's bed, Makoto slept peacefully, not frightened by the nightmarish visions of the future he had lived in. The creatures responsible for the nightmares were truly monstrous to behold, Dr Stylish had spared no expense at designing the perfect beasts to traumatize young minds with, sick and twisted even in death.

While Makoto was ascertained that he would be able to overcome and move past the nightmares he faced irregularly, being able to sleep peacefully one night and remain awake the next, with enough time spent in this vastly different period of time. The Ice Prince felt a hint of guilt by being the only one freed from the horrible future, while everyone else was left to endure the endless bleakness. Anyone that was left alive, that is.

And like expected, Makoto was very thankful that Dr Stylish was centralized around genetic engineering and engineering itself rather than working in the field of medicine, else Esdeath probably would've brought him straight to the mad Doctor himself. A recipe for disaster in the making. Revenge had to wait, Makoto had refrained from killing Stylish for the simple matter that it wouldn't solve anything for his future.

For clarification, in Makoto's future timeline, Stylish was already long since dead. Clone or otherwise.

Yet, tragedy had occurred regardless.

Makoto knew that whatever Stylish had unleashed to the world, had been prearranged to take place. Either through proxy, accomplice or another damn clone of his. So, if Makoto were to truly stop what was to come, then it had to be cut away at the very source. No half-measures, if he wasn't smart with this then everything would happen all over again. The only difference being that he would see it with his own eyes, instead of being held at his Mother's chest when the chaos started to unfold.

Everything connected to Stylish had to be systematically purged, as for all they knew if they left a single trace behind then it'd just grow into an even worse problem down the line. Makoto didn't know if Stylish had intended to throw the world into utter chaos, but by this point, he didn't care of the mad doctor's reasoning in his actions or what lead to them.

Any tragic backstory of loss and grief would be shot down instantly.

The major issue in Makoto's plan was that he currently did not know where Stylish was based. He had heard passing mentions that Stylish had been away from the Capital on leave, but without the coordinates to his hideout, that didn't help him much. He had thought of asking Esdeath about it but taking an interest in the affairs of the crazed doctor might draw suspicion from his Mother that he'd like to avoid.

All in all, Makoto was least thankful that he could rely on and include his Father in his plans to kill Stylish in cold blood. He'd be unwilling to let his Dad or anyone take his kill, considering the very torment he had experienced because of the man, Makoto was however still willing to put faith in the abilities of his Father to achieve their shared goal.

"Looks like the game is up, eh?" Leone spoke loudly from her place leaning against the wall. Akame stared back, nodding in confirmation. "It is, they've stopped sending couriers. Reports say that Agotian made the journey to the Capital himself."

"So, what? That doesn't mean we're toast just yet, they could blame our work on bandits." Leone countered back, clearly the optimism in the conversation compared to Akame who was playing the role of the realist. "Bandits can't take on heavily armed Imperial courier protection squads, Leone. They know it's the Revolution."

"Whaa...! Do you know something I don't? What gives?" Leone was very unnerved by Akame's cold tone, it'd be way colder than usual.

"According to reports, the Empire has already set up extensive Military camp near Fallhaven far to the East."

"This is going exactly where I think it is, right?"

"It is like we guessed, they carry the banners of General Esdeath. They wouldn't set a camp up, if they weren't ready to make an attack on us. We have hours, not days, not anymore." Akame clarified and the situation became much more bleak for Leone. It was hopeless already, but that didn't change the fact of the matter that they were just waiting like lambs to be slaughtered by a larger presence.

Like Tatsumi, Leone was betting on Akame being able to land a blow on Esdeath and bring peace back to the Capital once the Tyrant in charge had been disposed of.

"...What's Tatsumi's stake in this?" Leone spluttered out, trying to lift the mood, but unintentionally bringing it down by making reference to their old comrade. Akame just glared at Leone, then sighed and gave her what she knew from Roger's reports. "I don't think he'll be joining the fight, Esdeath will likely want to keep him away... To Rogers, Tatsumi is still a loose cannon in the Ice Queen's Military."

"Not to mention abused." Akame adjusted her place on the chair she sat at, pulling it away from the table a bit. Sipping Coffee lightly. "Then can't we try and convince him to join us?"

"Unlikely, Esdeath specializes in indoctrination tactics, even if we manage to free him... He'll never be the same Tatsumi we knew, and he joined Esdeath willingly."

"Whatever happens, is on him, and him alone." Leone clenched her fist tightly at the thought of what Akame had said, she had no doubt that it'd be true considering even Leone feared the Ice Queen's wide array of skills in the Torture Chamber on some primal level. "The best of what we can do is simply give Tatsumi a quick death with Murasame. That's the secondary objective if we cannot beat Esdeath."

"What's the point of that? Not like we'll make an actual dent, Akame." Leone asked sheepishly, trying to keep the answer she knew to the back of her head. "She loves him if that's even possible for her but if we take away then she'll feel the effects of that loss. We can use that to our advantage."

"Hey. _We_ lost him first...!" Leone's sudden burst in anger caused her Teigu to activate by itself. The blonde woman's eyes became slited like a cat's, ears sprouted from the top of her hair with claws and tail arising later. Her hair becoming drastically longer than before. Despite this, Akame stayed perfectly calm and gave Leone a disapproving look to show her disappointment. At this, Leone calmed back down and allowed the effects of Lionelle to fade away. "Believe me, Leone. I know what you feel, but I'm moved on from Tatsumi... It's time you did too."

Sadly, moving on from Tatsumi wasn't as easy for Leone as it was for Akame. Which mind you, wasn't easy regardless.

Akame had managed to put aside the feelings of romance she had for Tatsumi when news of his defection had arisen. She had done the same when Tatsumi and Mine became open with their relationship, she had never let Tatsumi know of her feelings whatsoever. Leone herself had done the same when she saw how happy and joyous Mine was over entering a relationship with Tatsumi, but the feelings of love came surging back when she saw just how broken up Tatsumi was when Mine disappeared and was presumed dead.

She just wanted to look after him and keep him safe.

But now somebody else was doing that in her place, somebody that didn't deserve Tatsumi nor the happiness being around him gave.

"I want you at your best, Leone. We can't hold back for anything." Akame's stern tone was eerily reminiscent of Najenda's own, Leone only lightly smiled at this then nodded back. Deciding they could deal with the matter of Tatsumi when they were done with Esdeath, the bigger threat in the picture. "You got it, boss lady. Najenda would be proud of how're takin' up the reins, Akame."

"So let's really show that Ice-Bitch who's boss, and when we cut the head off the top dog in the Empire then the underlings will scatter away!" Leone chuckled, heartily. Leaning over suddenly and strongly taking the glass pitcher filled with alcohol, proceeding to chug it straight down her gullet. Causing Akame to erect a bout of short laughter for the first time in a while. Leone never changed, even in the worst of situations.

"Yeah, tomorrow or the next. Whenever the battle ahead is, we won't go without a fight. _Esdeath is as good as dead._ " Akame stated determination woven in her ruby eyes.

 **Not particularly much to say about this chapter I think, aside from the fact I wanted least one chapter showcasing that Makoto could still get ill even while being related to Esdeath and to put more relevance nightmares that Makoto has, showing that even with his maturity, he's still a ten-year-old kid that's a bit out of his depth. But, as you know, this chapter is possibly one of the last that'll contain any "Fluff" scenes between Tatsumi and Esdeath for a while.**

 **This is the turning point!**

 **Mainly for Tatsumi and Esdeath's relationship, and Tatsumi's progression into a more serious and devious character.**

 **Of course, I intend to make that slow and gradual, I have no desire to rush Tatsumi's characterization for drama. The story already has an overarching villain, Esdeath, so it'll need a hero for a little while longer.**

 **All in all, thanks for reading the chapter! Rate and review at your leisure, as always!**

 **I *Should* have another chapter out, before December 25, but don't quote me on that! Thanks, and enjoy the holidays!**


	28. Chapter 28 - Fallhaven: Queen Vs Killer

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)

 **It begins! The battle that you've all been waiting for! Akame vs. Esdeath! Enjoy, and I hope it's been worth the wait!**

Tatsumi woke up to the unusual sight of Esdeath and Makoto sitting with their legs crossed facing each other on the luxurious bed. By the looks of it, Esdeath was currently checking if Makoto was feeling better since she had her hand firmly placed against his forehead.

It was early in the morning and Esdeath had just woken up herself. She stayed in bed, cuddled up with the two people she loved most in the world and then sprung into action when Makoto awoke himself with an adorable yawn.

She was still in her usual nightly get-up with Makoto wearing the blue criminally cute pyjamas from yesterday.

When Esdeath was done examining Makoto closely, she had come to the justified conclusion that he was well. In fact, Makoto had completely recovered from his previous state of unwellness and was fit enough to fight for hours on end.

Like herself, whenever illness struck, it wasn't there for long at all. Here one day, and gone the next. Makoto's immune system may not be as impressive as his Mother's own, but he'd still be leaps and bounds more resistant to infection than that of the common human being were.

To Esdeath, she felt an elated sense of bliss at this revelation. Like the countless prior. She felt an exquisite sense of pride as a Mother and joy at the confirmation that she had once again been correct all along in her selfish belief that children bore through the union with herself and Tatsumi were destined to lead the next generation into a Golden Age.

A Golden Age of Mankind, where strength would decide everything with the feelings of the weak being dismissively ignored and cast away.

The Ice Queen herself had come to realize she was gradually beginning to distance herself from the rest of humanity, and instead were becoming obsessively motivated towards ensuring the world belonged only to the worthy, her babies.

She didn't mind this, in fact, Esdeath loved this. She had longed for the chance to disconnect herself from the network of weakness that she had been forced to associate herself with. The Empire was war made manifest, but weakness continued to hide in the cracks that built the Empire up.

Politicians, nobles and the like. They did not understand the glory of war and battle, not like she and Tatsumi did.

Soon, they would do. Somewhere down the line, they'd be forced to understand. The future ahead that she had been told about, confirmed to Esdeath that with the right guidance, Tatsumi could be shaped into a Military Leader. Like a serpent shedding its skin, Tatsumi would throw away feelings of sentiment towards the weak and become an entity like herself. It'd take likely take years, but even then.

Esdeath could hardly control her excitement at the thought of having a Tatsumi who not only believed, but advocated for the very things she herself desired on his own accord.

"There we go, you're back to perfect health. And now, I don't know who to praise." Esdeath laughed slightly to herself, smiling joyously. "...Uh? What do you mean, Mom?"

Lifting him from his place sat away from her with a wide reach of her arms, Esdeath spun him over and cushioned him down on her crossed legs.

Arms wrapped tightly around his small waist, Esdeath leaned back against the bed's headboard and placed her chin at the top of Makoto's head. "Myself and your father for gifting you with such amazing abilities, or you, my darling, for braving through illness and coming through stronger than before."

"Mom, it was just a fever..." Makoto tried to pressure the relative unimportance of his prior unwell condition, but Esdeath would have none of it. "Don't neglect your own accomplishments, Makoto. You're far more advanced than any boy your age in this entire Capital, of that, I have no doubt."

A silence passed, but then a tired voice rang out to break that same silence.

"...Could you please avoid nurturing an unhealthy Ego in my son, thank you. Yours is bad enough to deal with." Tatsumi murmured sleepily, Esdeath had shifted most of the bedsheets over to his side, so he was currently buried in them.

His head and hair only managed to be seen from it, Tatsumi had been listening in on their conversation for a while and figured that Esdeath was trying to bolster her baby's confidence up so that he wouldn't refrain himself from asking for anything that he wanted.

Like Tatsumi, Esdeath wanted Makoto to be transparent with her, one hundred per cent of the time. Spoiling him was just second nature now.

"My ego is perfectly fine and healthy, Tatsumi. I am confident in my ways because, without it, I would not be able to rightfully enforce my policies unto the ones that serve me with such _commendable_ devotion." Esdeath squeezed Makoto tightly and sighed in bliss when she felt him lean back against her without trying to escape.

Yet again, Esdeath's confident justification for her clear signs of mental instability continued to baffle Tatsumi. The mask of sanity she wore was bolted shut.

 _"...I want a divorce."_ Tatsumi sighed, jokingly. Pretending to fall back asleep afterwards.

But not jokingly enough for Esdeath's liking and to punish Tatsumi for the thought of breaking their much-adored monogamous union, she threw the covers that were over him away and immediately struck him on the face.

 _With a fluffy soft pillowcase._

This woke Tatsumi's body straight up, she had hit him quite hard. Lifting himself up, Esdeath stared confidently at him with bared teeth and gently allowed Makoto to crawl away from his place on her thighs. Tatsumi's defiant stare flipped a switch in Esdeath's body, and she responded by taking another pillowcase from the bed. Tatsumi doing the same, but they waited in silence.

Eye-contact locked, it was then that Esdeath spoke.

An irresistible urge to suppress and dominate her mate grew.

"Sweetie, Mommy and Daddy are going to have a little _civil disagreement_ on the bed. Just head into your room, get dressed for the day and don't come out until ten minutes have passed." Sweet like butter.

Esdeath's tone was the opposite of the stern cold one she used when addressing subordinates, civil servants or Honest. Regardless, Makoto knew that his Dad had unwittingly challenged his Mother's right to claim him as her own and would now suffer the thankfully admittedly mundane consequences of that challenge.

"You're being very considerate today, aren't you?" Tatsumi wore a crooked smile, to which Esdeath just confidently grinned back. "I try, Tatsumi. Now, fight back with everything you have and are."

"Alright, I won't go easy on you." It didn't take much for Tatsumi to realize that Esdeath's current course of action was driven by the joy she felt in her heart. "That's my Tatsumi, I'd expect nothing less from you."

Whenever Tatsumi voiced his displeasure at being tied to Esdeath in harmonious union, she'd usually respond with legitimate violence instead of an assault by pillowcases. A hard slap across the face, usually. He couldn't put his finger on it, Esdeath's current action, was she just pleased by the fact they were able to have sex when it'd seem unlikely due to Makoto's illness?

He knew why she had been so eager yesterday since she knew they would have to be celibate during the night hours.

So it could be. Or probably something else entirely. Yet, what Tatsumi didn't know were that Esdeath had scheduled the attack on Fallhaven for today and were fully prepared to reduce Night Raid to dust, leaving him none the wiser until days afterwards.

That was why Esdeath was currently feeling very loving and playful, intending to save every last ounce of malice for the ones she considered most deserving of it.

The first blow of the day was struck, by Esdeath. Tatsumi had managed to parry it clumsily with his own pillowcase, and then return the hit. "Eyes front, Tatsumi. Don't get lost in thought when you're opponent is right in front of you!"

"...What do you mean?! I countered that, Esdeath!"

It was ironic that the only blow Tatsumi was able to land on Esdeath were that of a pillowcase, instead of a solid punch or hard kick. When the soft pillowcase bounced off from Esdeath's softer bouncing chest, she'd return fire by dropping hers and clinging unto the one Tatsumi held, pulling him closer with each tug of it.

The smart action would be to simply let go, but Tatsumi oddly didn't, letting his competitive side take over and control him for now.

"Counter this, then. You _disobedient_ naughty boy."

Using Tatsumi's playfulness, Esdeath used her Teigu to make the pillowcase icy cold. At this instant, she let go, but Tatsumi didn't. Causing him to shriek out in shock at the sudden drop in temperature, without missing a beat, Esdeath's hand took ahold of Tatsumi's throat and pulled him back down onto the bed on his back. Slamming him down with an elated expression woven on her face.

"Ack! Why'd you...! That wasn't fair!"

Recoiling from this, groaning without pause to highlight his displeasure. Tatsumi tried to lift himself up, only to observe Esdeath aggressively slamming herself down on him. Landing on his clothed waist, kneeling down and using her hands to keep his chest down by the palm. The victorious grin she wore, bore into him like mad. Tatsumi tried to escape, but Esdeath would not allow it.

"Hey, could you move off me, Esdeath?" Tatsumi commented midst struggle, facing away from her in embarrassment at being caught so easily. "I will not, you need to learn your place eventually, Tatsumi. I beat you, caught you and you still try to resist me? That won't slide with me."

"What do you want, an apology? Get real." He scoffed.

"I want far more than that, I wish you'd stop trying to refuse me... You want me so badly, and yet, you continue to deny yourself." Esdeath exemplified this by rubbing her soft squishy butt against Tatsumi's groin, causing a physical reaction to arise in him to her great delight.

At this, Tatsumi tried to physically shove Esdeath away to no avail, she merely applied a harder compression at his chest to force him back down. "Ooh, fighting back, are we?"

"What else does it look like, Esdeath? Of course, I'm fighting back...!" Grinding his teeth together in annoyance. Tatsumi acted on instinct and took ahold of Esdeath's worn shirt, pulling it open with a strong yank of his arms. Buttons flying everywhere across the bed, contrary to Tatsumi's intent, Esdeath wasn't bothered by this.

She owned many shirts, and she had no favourites. "Fighting back, is that what this is? A sad pathetic struggle, more like. Don't fool yourself, you're just playing into my hands."

To show this, Esdeath undid the last of the buttons on her shirt and removed it completely.

Tossing it away slowly.

Staring into him, the Ice Queen folded her arms below the breasts to show them off. She had no intention of taking things any further than this, especially considering the events that were lined up for today, this merely served as a way for Esdeath to demonstrate to Tatsumi that she would not accept refusal anymore by highlighting just how much he wanted her.

When she momentarily allowed her eyes to leave Tatsumi's painfully cute face, to ogle and swoon at his abs and pectoral muscles. Metaphorically, Esdeath devoured and savoured the eye candy on display, loving Tatsumi intently with her eyes.

Taking his chance, Tatsumi shifted every last ounce of his body's weight upward to forcefully throw Esdeath off him. A futile effort, like the countless he had made prior in similar situations to this, but the day that Tatsumi just opted to let Esdeath have her way with him without some struggling beforehand were the day that he wore the Imperial uniform with a smile on his face.

He hoped that'd be later rather than sooner.

Compared to the softness of his lover's thighs that Tatsumi felt when he tried to escape, Esdeath felt just the opposite of that. An unfamiliar level of hardness that she hadn't experienced before, realizing that something wasn't right, she immediately released Tatsumi and threw him hard against the headboard of the bed by his shoulders. He just wore briefs, but she had sworn that she felt a weapon of some kind when sitting on him.

Eyes glued to his own, Esdeath wasn't able to see what the real issue was.

"...I thought I told you, Tatsumi. Weapons are forbidden in our bed, you needn't fear harm from anyone with me."

Keeping him stuck to the bed's headboard by the hands, via slight usage of her Teigu. Tatsumi yelled in pain, and to avoid Makoto checking on them during this, Esdeath would proceed to freeze the door to his room with a thick sheet of ice. "I don't have a weapon on me, Esdeath! Let me go, already!"

"I gave that up, believe me!" By that, Tatsumi meant he had stopped trying to sneak weapons in, due to always being caught. He intended to use them to free himself from binds, preferring knives capable of cutting through leather straps.

 _"I'll be the judge of that, Tatsumi."_ Esdeath hissed and began searching the bed for a concealed dagger or knife on and beneath the mattress but she didn't find anything on the area around where she had sat on Tatsumi, nor below. Assuming the poking was just what she originally figured it was, yet even then, she had never felt it at that animalistic intensity before.

A firm hand stripped Tatsumi of his briefs, tearing them apart into shredded pieces. Tatsumi gasped then seethed in rage and frustration, losing his patience with each violation of his bodily rights accompanied by the searing pain of being trapped by the hurting frozen shackles. "Satisfied, now? See, I don't have weapons on me...! You crazy B-Don't make me say it, damn you!"

Tatsumi would have continued berating Esdeath for her paranoia and antics but he stopped when she eerily paused in her motions herself. In fact, she wasn't even looking at him in the eyes anymore, instead focusing at his embarrassingly study erection. Eyes kept to the ceiling above, Tatsumi finally brought them down to look at what the heck she was doing currently.

"So, this is the fearsome _"Weapon"_ I felt, wasn't it?" Esdeath joked, voice thick with lustful desire. "Weapon? What do you mean, "Weapon"? That's just my..."

Then Tatsumi saw it, too.

 _"What the fuck, how'd that happen?!"_ Tatsumi screamed internally, completely floored.

He had grown surprisingly, not just grown in that region, but _really_ grown.

Tatsumi knew the stretched elastic in his briefs had been getting too tight on him for comfort, but he'd originally thought nothing of it. He was aware that Esdeath would simply buy new pairs when she noticed it herself.

She often discovered new things about himself way before he did, scary as it was. Just yesterday in the study, Tatsumi had been perfectly normal in regards to this but just less than twenty-four hours later, he had been changed spontaneously.

Without reason, too. Seemingly.

But.

The truth of the matter lied in Incursio, more correctly, Tyrant. The high-class Danger Beast was a creature that prided itself on its ability to survive and endure against hostility from every avenue of life.

Even now, existing as Incursio, it'd survive. Tatsumi just assumed that meant combat, and the like exclusively. He wasn't aware creatures like the savage dragon-beast considered that producing children was considered another way to "escape" death via creating a legacy.

To breed, to mate. To copulate.

Aspects that the Ice Queen had begun to slowly instil into her own mate in hopes that he'd open himself to his feral bestial desires, and his bodily urges.

His base instincts.

To somebody like Esdeath, she'd would have been able to easily point the link out but Tatsumi, who consistently tried to ignore the primal instincts that were growing inside him steadily like previously stated, he, however, was blind to the true meaningfulness of this particular strange development.

So blind, he hadn't been able to spot the begins of this change earlier. The hints were that sex was gradually becoming easier to manage with Esdeath, seeing how he could last longer and go not wear himself out as easily.

In layman terms, Esdeath's extreme appetite for the rough aggressive mating they usually partook had forced Tatsumi's lower region to adjust to the pace she had put it through daily, or collapse under the pressure.

Like a muscle, if you kept working it hard, then it'd eventually become strong.

If he had been lucky enough to stay in his relationship with Mine, this would have not occurred, for it wouldn't have been needed.

"This... _Wonderous..._ Sudden change of yours isn't natural, Tatsumi." Esdeath breathed out with heat in her words, quickly releasing Tatsumi from his icy binds, else she'd forget to do so.

They had sapped most of his strength, the icy binds, causing him to go limp against the board. "Incursio is the cause of this, I know it. It's transformed your body into an engine of destruction, into perfection."

"You're adapting to my lifestyle, and it's really showing... You're perfect."

"You're becoming quite a stud, Tatsumi." Esdeath chuckled at that last part, she meant stud as in an animal used in selective breeding.

Ironically, what Tatsumi was in some ways, considering Esdeath had definitely selected him for the children that he'd produce, now that she had proof of his greatness in that forte.

"So utterly Perfect, is this what you call me, call this? It's turning me... Into something I'm not, a monster for all I know. A beast. Can't you see that, Esdeath?" Tatsumi said back, he wasn't confident that Incursio's changes were to be wished for.

"You're still human, Tatsumi. And the, you in the future, stayed human, too." Esdeath tried to assure Tatsumi, but she was currently way too obsessed and giddy over what had become of Tatsumi's member to put legitimate effort in her reassurances.

He was big before, more than just average, but now Tatsumi was terrifying to behold. It'd be thick like a man's arm, and wild like a rearing steed. Veiny, too.

Esdeath, for once, wasn't so sure if it'd be something she could tame and dominate, or if it'd tame her instead but she just saw it as another exciting challenge to partake in. "I can't wait to have this inside me, it's going to feel so very good. I'll probably split into two, by the looks of this thing but we'll have to see, won't we?"

"Tch... Just give me another set of briefs, please."

" _You could never have hoped to take this beast, you little girl,"_ Esdeath whispered below her breath. _"He's become a danger to women everywhere, only I can contain him now. He's all mine."_

She continued, panting lustfully at every pause in her words.

"You're so strange, Tatsumi. You look cute and handsome, but down here... You're quite scary, aren't you~?"

"I never intended to be scary, you know! But if you don't stop, I can always castrate myself first, at the base, Esdeath. Your delusions of grandeur can stop right now, I don't particularly want to experience any more abnormal changes in my body that I can't control. In a body, I can't control." Tatsumi said, half-jokingly.

"If you do that, my darling. I'll make you so wish, you hadn't, one thousand-fold. If you try to deprive me of my rights, of my future children, you will come to know pain like no other has before, that I promise you." Esdeath said, completely seriously without missing a single beat.

A chilling glare froze Tatsumi's confidence solid, but it wouldn't show on his firm expression.

"Come on, Esdeath... Can't you see that this isn't normal, that I'm changing? Into, hell, I don't know what." Tatsumi tried to convince Esdeath of the scary reality, but she just moved back unto Tatsumi's waist with a swift movement then shushed him with her breasts to comfort him, trying to place a nipple in alignment with his mouth to silence him with it.

Stroking him by the head, speaking clearly. "Whatever you do turn into, I'll always love you. That was my promise, Tatsumi. My vow, you're _mine_ forever and always."

 _"Death is no escape for you from me. I am your life, and your afterlife."_

Esdeath's devoted possessively-charged words did indeed comfort him somewhat, along with the softness of her chest. But with the warm comfort, came cold self-loathing that he could _feel_ comfort from words that originated from a renown sadistic monster.

An evil woman with seemingly no morals, who held love and care for only him and the one child that came from him. That combined with the fact that Tatsumi himself needed to constantly remind himself of the true awful reality that was Esdeath, The Ice Queen.

To avoid becoming blinded by the love that she had forced into him and his soul.

Apart of him sought the emotional strength to abandon Night Raid and the Revolutionary, to put his village first.

For the people of Matsura Village, his home, he'd do anything but betraying his friends wasn't one of them. They had to go first, for that to occur.

For Tatsumi to place the lives of his homeland, he needed to lose Akame, Leone and his cause.

Which perfectly aligned with the Ice Queen's goals, goals which would be realized today, they'd be no tomorrow for the Revolutionaries and those that supported them.

Everyone would die, regardless of the degree of their support.

Ten minutes passed, and they had gotten dressed for the day. Esdeath removed the sheet of ice that prevented access or entrance to Makoto's room and saw that he was already dressed.

A white Imperial coat embroidered with her crest, grey tie and black boots in his size. Dressed in her uniform, as per usual, Esdeath informed Tatsumi of the role that she expected him to take for the rest of the day.

Unlike, Makoto. Tatsumi was simply expected to stay within' the Capital's safe walls, in the bedroom particularly, until she returned in the evening's dusk. Naturally, Tatsumi refused this. Refusing to stay idle, while they suited up for something big by the looks of it. His pleads to accompany them on whatever they were heading off to do, were met by firm hostility and dismissal by Esdeath.

Tatsumi's objective in joining Esdeath this time would be to hopefully limit whatever damage she would be out to do, he couldn't do that if were to remain locked away under house arrest.

The fact that she refused him, meant it'd likely be something to do with the Revolutionary Army, or worse yet, Night Raid. Either that, or she wasn't comfortable with putting him in harm's way when she wasn't sure what they'd face.

She had borderline aggressively raped him in the bathroom to make up for the long month she had lost with him, very much thanks to his coma and not even Tatsumi wanted to risk or repeat that by falling into another.

Tatsumi continued to reflect on the fact, he had been unwillingly rendered comatose when they walked into the trap Budo had made for the Jaegers. If Tatsumi hadn't killed the Death Tagool, it'd be likely that Wave or Kurome would've fallen for Budo's trap instead, in ways more permanent than Tatsumi's own falling.

The foolishly planned trap itself had caused Esdeath to quickly dethrone Budo from his seat of luxurious well-regarded seat as Great General and throw the Capital into a worse tyrannical state than before, within' the time span of one whole day.

Let it be known that if Tatsumi had instead died by Budo's ill-fated ploy, then Esdeath wouldn't have just stopped at leaving him a quadruple amputee for life, losing Tatsumi would have meant losing Makoto, too.

So everyone in the Imperial Capital would have likely died as a result of the former Great General's power play.

An ironic twist of fate, in killing the two people she had loved deeply, the Empire that Budo loved would perish, too.

A fair trade, to the Ice Queen's twisted sense of what fairness was.

If she could not live in happiness, then _nobody would._

Twenty-five minutes had passed into the day since Great General Esdeath had departed with her brood from her bedroom, leaving behind Tatsumi, guarded by one of her subordinates who arrived some time ago.

Fate, who despite being apart of the Jaegers, had been ordered to stay behind in the Capital to assist General Morgana in keeping the peace and most importantly, ensuring Tatsumi stayed put.

No room for failure was to be had, a delicate matter without question.

The other Jaegers of the Ice Queen had already been employed to accompany her on the journey to the base directly outside of Fallhaven. What remained of her legion that weren't already stationed at the base were to travel there, too.

She had waited long enough for this, and the more time that she didn't strike swiftly. Meant that Night Raid simply got more time to continue breathing and that wasn't to be tolerated further.

The Great General wasn't stupid to leave the Capital without a standing army either to defend it from a surprise attack, she ensured the Capital was sufficiently bolstered by the forces serving General Morgana and the Imperial Politicians, Morgana herself owned a legion, too.

They had successfully filled their ranks back up, having taken a small part in Budo's insurrection.

So casualties weren't high, nor were the survivors absorbed into the Ice Queen's army upon their surrender in the staged coup.

When Esdeath and Makoto made it to the Palace's closed gates that were leading into the Capital's roads that led to their destination, Esdeath could sense the presence of a plentiful amount of individuals waiting directly outside of them.

Apparently to bolster support, Honest had leaked information of the Great General's current mission to the public masses to garner support for the Empire's ruling councils, Esdeath didn't mind much in particular.

If the news had been leaked any earlier then she would've, but everything was in place. Timed correctly, and without any chance, for Tatsumi to act.

Helping Makoto on his steed, a smaller horse than the one she had chosen to ride. When he was placed on securely, she'd adjust her son's saddle properly and helped his feet into position.

The focused yet calm expression on his face was outright adorable, forcing Esdeath to momentarily pull Makoto's head down by the crown to plant a kiss on the side of it. "I know that determined scowl, Makoto. It's just like your Father's."

"...Really?" He'd ask, clearly bemused but not upset clearly by the look on his face.

"Would I lie to you, sweetheart? Of course." Esdeath nodded earnestly, a joyous smile radiant.

Wasting no time, Esdeath strode over to the waiting loyal steed she had picked out from her stables. A powerful yet young male horse, white in colouration like Makoto's own. Esdeath had enjoyed slowly eroding the proud creature's independence down through reinforcement and punishment practices, teaching him that disobedience would only resolve in firm punishment and deprivement of food.

Whereas obedience would be met with praise and well-filling nourishment.

The horse that Tatsumi and Makoto used to make it all the way over to Mt. Fake had been a work in progress for Esdeath, not entirely broken down but she didn't mind losing that one in particular.

Like people, she often picked favourites out from the options provided and she had already decided this one was a special case. The Jaegers's horses, minus Stylish and Seryu as they were travelling by carriage, were already in position directly behind them to lead on below their commander in Military formation. Adjusting herself on her saddle, one of her standing Captain's shuffled over and saluted. "Great General, we've hit some unexpected delays but we're working as quickly as we can to be ready to depart within' the hour."

"Delays? Do explain, Captain Zarish." Esdeath coldly replied, eyeing him. "Dr. Stylish hasn't finished with his Modi-Modifications on his "Prototype." and Jaeger Ubiquitous is currently assisting him. If you don't mind me saying, she's very concerned over the well-fare of the "Machine." whatever it is."

By his tone, it'd be clear that he'd be currently going off knowledge attained from Stylish himself and his own thoughts. "Inform Stylish that he's got twenty minutes, at maximum. I won't tolerate any more delays, are we clear?"

"Perfectly, Gr-Great General...!" Captain Zarish spluttered, then saluted quickly enough from his nerves to hit himself directly square on the head.

Slightly amused by this, Esdeath dismissed the Captain with a motion of the hand before removing herself from the saddle of her waiting mount, she did not want to get sore by staying fixed to the leather seat when she wasn't sure that they'd be leaving anytime soon. She could still suffer from annoyance's like saddle sore, and the like.

Internally seething at the mention of his foe's name, Makoto observed Kurome and Wave walking together in the background whilst they prepared for the journey ahead. They'd be passing by groups of Esdeath's men currently loading military carriages up with supplies, standard-issue army rations and firewood to burn bodies amongst other essential items.

Makoto's intense staring was interrupted when the hands of his mother came at his waist and forcefully lifted him from his saddle and strongly into her grasp.

"Uhu, what're you?" Makoto asked, shocked and confused. The man said twenty minutes, didn't he? So why was he currently being carried when were bound to set off any moment soon. "Don't act so surprised, Makoto. I need to kill my boredom so how, hmm?"

Holding him by the sides of his waist, Esdeath lifted Makoto upward and stared at him. A mixture of obsession and maternal love sown deeply in her eyes, staring into her son's own pair of beautiful green ones. Oh, she loved him so much. To think, that she had made him, piece by piece. Every hair on his head, formed by the intimate process between herself and her life partner Tatsumi.

Just the wonderful thought she had carried him and nurtured him inside herself was somewhat unthinkable, she almost couldn't believe it herself.

To create a boy so perfect, in such a little modest amount of time, too.

"Tell me, my special boy. My, oh so, special Prince of my heart. What do you want, what do you desire? Whatever you want, I'll make it yours. Today is a special day, so it should be for you too." Esdeath, like with Tatsumi, sought for a way to show the immense love that she felt. It'd be physically painful for her to keep so much uncontrolled pure love locked away without being able to release it.

She often asked Tatsumi such questions like the one she had just asked Makoto either when they were about to drift asleep in each other's arms, or when were engaging in casual pillow-talk.

She usually asked Tatsumi if he wanted anyone dead, or if there were anything that she could get him to make his life easier in the Empire. Esdeath was always met with the same expected answer from her mate, but she kept trying and trying.

She needed a way to show that she loved him, else Esdeath feared that otherwise, Tatsumi would remain the bitterly unaffectionate person he had always been forever.

That he'd doubt she truly loved him until the day he died.

"...Go on, what do you want more than anything in the world?" Intentionally trying to coax an answer out of him. Esdeath placed specific pressure on the word "Want" realizing it's importance in the docile child's mindset, Makoto never made his wants and desires known, always keeping them close to his chest.

The Ice Prince was presented with two options, the first option being to outright lie and proclaim that he didn't want anything whatsoever or instead to tell the truth as it was and open himself up. Weighing his options, Makoto realized that dismissively lying to his mother wouldn't provide him release from these questions, but just keep them coming in greater number.

They'd be two things Makoto desired, one wasn't within' Esdeath's power to grant, nor one that he wanted his mother to provide. Stylish's death was his to plan, perform and relish over. So, Makoto simply picked the one that she could realistically achieve, siblings.

Brothers, sisters and the like. In his ten years alive, Makoto had endured bitter isolation because of the things that made him special, his abilities and powers.

Even in the present, he only felt relatively comfortable around those that understood his situation, like Tatsumi, his dad and Kraygarr, his friend.

Siblings would change that, they'd be granted the same abilities and powers, so he wouldn't be so alone in the world. In the future, Makoto had to endure loneliness whilst his mother kept herself busy by endlessly destroying the feral roaming beasts that were responsible for his lack of sisters and brothers.

She had a personal vendetta against the malformed abominations that caused her so much pain, ruined her happy life and took a loving husband away from her and threw him into the jaws of death.

To add to this, not that Makoto knew.

His Mother's first tear-filled words, as she held him in her arms when he was successfully pulled from the womb by his Father's careful hands, were in fact.

 _"Tatsumi...I'd like another, please."_

 _"You can't possibly imagine how complete I feel right now."_ She sighed, lovingly.

An equally sobbing General Tatsumi had little argument for that, having been instrumental in the delivery of his newborn child, even as blood and the like covering his hands thickly. In the short amount of time they had together in that moment, they were happy.

Truly happy.

"Siblings, Mom," Makoto answered truthfully, opting to not delay longer than his Mother could cope. Instead of expressing any kind of shock at this, Esdeath simply smiled warmly and steadied him comfortably in her grasp by letting him sit supported on her arm. "Clever boy, you know... Once we've gotten rid of the pesky Revolutionary Army, we can finally make that dream of yours, of ours... Finally, come true."

Esdeath had unintentionally given Makoto another important piece of information, too. Since as Esdeath intended for the children between herself and her Tatsumi to be legitimate ones, therefore born inside of marriage.

He knew that they'd be wed much sooner than originally, which was good news all around.

"Can we do it together?" Makoto asked, genuinely interested if he'd be allowed to partake in the battle ahead and not stuck on the sidelines. "Of course, this'll be your big chance... The one you've been waiting very, very patiently for."

"You've been a good boy for displaying such admirable patience, so Mommy is proud of you."

Makoto was confused, but even then, he gradually began to understand what she was saying in some form. Letting his mother speak to gain a full insight, without interruption from himself in turn. "Everyone here around us, everyone who wears our family's crest on their uniform's chest, one way or another... They loathe your Father intensely for his past deeds in Night Raid, they've tried to hurt him countless times for that forgivable error in judgement and in-kind, hurt you too. They don't feel your Daddy one is worthy to stand with me, Makoto."

"What does that mean for you, sweetheart?" Esdeath quietly asked him, speaking in the same hushed tone as before. Subtly manipulating him, and his emotions. Esdeath intended to keep the conversation strictly between the two of them, but even then, she didn't care for eavesdropping spies, especially when they could just as easily perish in the coming battles ahead. "...They don't believe I should exist."

"That's right, isn't it? You _deserve_ to exist, you've _earnt_ that right. You're eons stronger than anyone around us, but they don't believe that and they won't believe that."

"If you keep _holding back_ , Makoto." At this, Makoto immediately tensed up and became much more alert. She had somehow seen straight through his facade of weakness.

True, Makoto wasn't as strong as either one of his parents, but Makoto wasn't pathetic at the same time at any rate. He'd be the result of a union between two of the strongest warriors in history, and the next history after that.

The truth was, as shown with Agotian's defeat at his hands. Makoto didn't feel as if he had to put everything in his battles, and opted to just put enough power in that was required to end the fight.

Conserving energy, and allowing him to avoid fatigue and exhaustion.

He had only gone violently overboard with Agotian, using one of his mother's own special moves, because of the man's foolish insistence in trying to persuade him away from his rightful place at her side. Agotian's survival had been pure luck on his part, Makoto had intentionally aimed to kill the man.

Sure, Makoto's small body meant that he wasn't able to properly unleash the power of the blood inside him, regularly without drawbacks.

He had a lot of growing to do before he could do that.

But, not using his power like before, was purely a conscious act on his part.

Practically. Esdeath was flat-out stating to Makoto, that if he demonstrated earnestly in full exactly, why, those that followed. Should keep to that mindset, and just follow instead of developing delusions of becoming more than what they were slated in life, an obedient footsoldier that jumped when commanded and died when ordered.

Esdeath hoped to capitalize on the highly truthful rumours that Makoto was the legitimate result of an intimate affair between Tatsumi and herself, assisted by Stylish to explain away certain aspects, like the age issue.

So, provided they saw exactly what Makoto could do and allowed perfectly rational fear to sink into their hearts, they're minds would be forced to view Tatsumi in a new light as well.

A terrifying unnerving light.

But most importantly, _scary_ light.

Of course, if not for this goal, Esdeath wanted to ensure that Makoto didn't hold back during this battle, particularly as Akame would surely be present within' the walled city. While she wasn't largely bothered by this, for as soon as Akame made herself known on the battlefield, Esdeath would be there to welcome her into death's open arms.

Plus, Kurome would likely try and find Akame, too.

"So, what will you do when the battle begins, the battle for the happiness and future of our family?" Esdeath quietly asked him, swaying him gently in her arms. "I'll... Make you proud, Mom. I won't hold back, and everyone... Everyone will see why I'm my Father's son."

The Ice Queen couldn't have wished for a better response if she tried, perfectly executed in every way. The confident way that Makoto delivered the beautifully spoken line showed exactly how much he wanted this, they were now acting as one singular entity. Mother and Child. This was their fight, and they would fight for what they wanted until the last enemy was destroyed.

" _Oh, my darling."_

 _"Oh, my beautiful darling._ You'll be a Big Brother before you know it, I promise you, by the end of next year." Esdeath cheerily swayed him about, drunk and intoxicated on every last ounce of the real love she felt for him and his father.

Esdeath's ego refused to accept the notion of defeat, everything was ascertained. If Makoto believed in their victory, then it was all but assured. She would not destroy the Revolution and its pitiful band of Assassins for hire for the accolades that she'd receive from the Empire, but for Tatsumi.

All and always for Tatsumi.

It'd be the greatest expression of love she could give him, second to becoming heavy with his child.

Roughly at the same time, in Esdeath's bedroom.

"You didn't _need_ to do that, Rogers." Tatsumi commended offhandedly, using the provided key from his saviour to unlock his restraints. Observing the unconscious body of Fate strung across the carpeted floor below.

Knocked out by the man standing directly across from Tatsumi, Rogers had caught Fate midst the woman's idle interrogation of Tatsumi's current relationship standing with the Ice Queen and whilst Rogers was interested in that, too. He'd settle for saving it for another time, by striking the Jaeger sideways across the back of the head.

Fate had caught onto this, but way too late.

Only being able to sense him from behind, but no seeing his face.

Rogers was a honed spy, and assassin. Cut from the same cloth as Tatsumi, they'd be counterparts in a strange way. They were both strangers in the Empire, foreigners, working for the side they previously opposed and aiming to destabilize the Empire from the inside.

The difference was that Tatsumi had managed to unexpectedly acquire the unending affection of the thought-to-be unattainable General Esdeath.

"Of course I did, you idiot. She'd have screamed in a loud womanly tone, or something." Rogers verbally slapped Tatsumi and threw a set of Imperial Courier attire directly into the boy's unbound arms, without waiting a single second for him to reply. "We don't have much time, put these on and bend in."

"Wait, bend in... What do you mean?" Tatsumi asked loudly, trying to attain some answers to what currently was going on. Even if he had already suspected the true reason for Roger's freeing him from his chains. "Simple, I'm setting the loose cannon loose. Esdeath is planning to kill Akame, Leone and everyone else that you love."

"Today, that is. She's always wanted that, but today's going to actually do it."

"So, you better act fast. They're heading to Fallhaven, that's where everyone's set up shop." Rogers kept the details short and sweet, but easy to understand.

Realizing that, as told, he didn't have much time until Esdeath left the Capital with the Military convoy, Tatsumi immediately began dressing in uniform. He didn't have to remove much, just the trousers he wore. Surprisingly, everything would fit like a glove. Eerily so. "Everything fits, right?"

"Yeah, a bit _too_ well. How'd you get my measurements, we're not the same size." Rogers was slightly taller than Tatsumi, but not by much. So it'd be obvious that this wasn't his uniform, but a newly acquired pair. "Well, Uhm, let's just say that Esdeath keeps a record of every measurement of yours in a handy little book."

"Every... Measurement?"

"Every single one, Tatsumi," Rogers replied, stone-faced, quick as a gunshot from the exploding barrel. "Now, avoid the guards and avoid being held up. Questioned, too."

"Find the Military Staging area near the Palace, and you know the rest. Sneak aboard, etc, etc. Don't reveal yourself until the shit starts hitting the fan, best of luck." Rogers jokingly saluted his partner in crime and began shooing Tatsumi away. Even with the, admittedly generous degree of assistance, Tatsumi wasn't convinced that Rogers was being genuine in his assistance.

A larger game was being played here, Tatsumi wasn't stupid.

"You're playing me, aren't you? How do I know you're really working with Akame, Rogers?" Tatsumi stepped forward, his face obscured by the Imperial Faceplate they'd wear as standard uniform. His entire head hidden away by it, the face-plate being apart of a larger design. "Ugh, if you must... Watch closely, but not too close."

In that instant, Roger's Imperial uniform shifted and morphed into a thick disgusting black ooze, goo, and slithered around him. Instantly reforming itself and appearing differently than before, now, hilariously so.

Roger's former attire now resembled Akame's usual wear. Skirt and everything included but snugly fitted around the spy's muscular form. This questionable sight filled Tatsumi with mixed feelings and eventually ended with him violently throwing up on the floor some seconds later.

"Ok, ok...! I don't like doing that, but people who see Akame that close usually don't live very long if you get what I mean, so we're square, right?" Rogers hastily morphed himself into a better suiting outfit, very glad to be free from that humiliation but he'd take it in good humour at the end of the day. If everything went well, Tatsumi wouldn't be alive for much longer anyhow. "Alright, we are. I won't even ask what... That was, that black goo, I can only guess it's a Teigu of some kind."

"...We have a winner! Right on the money, Tatsumi. Have you been doing your homework, you have, haven't you?" Rogers laughed, as Tatsumi took the keys away from Fate for the seal to Incursio in its place locked away in the holder.

Esdeath and Makoto's respective weapons had been removed from it, and only Tatsumi's Incursio remained. Esdeath hadn't taken Incursio along for the ride, in confidence that she would not need to bring it to avoid a scenario that required her to forcefully pull it away from Tatsumi, whilst it'd be attached to his body.

If she had been slated to be away for longer than a single day, then it'd be a different story, mind you.

"Now... What to do with you, good lookin'." Rogers bend his knees over Fate and began to ponder away. Quite hilariously, deciding Fate's own fate but Tatsumi immediately interjected and shot down any attempt at disposing of the witness. Usually, Tatsumi would have been open to that particular method of maintaining secrecy. He'd be a heartless assassin, after all yet apart of him couldn't stomach getting rid of Fate, when she herself was a victim too.

Like him.

Oh, if only Tatsumi were aware of Fate's role in Mine's capture, the girl that he could not remember anymore.

"Leave her be, we have bigger problems. The attendants will be here soon, and they'll sort her out." Tatsumi explained, and locked eyes with Rogers, who returned the sentiment. "Eh, fine by me. I didn't intend on sticking in the Empire anyway, least not that I've helped you now."

They'd leave the quarters of the Great General behind them, and slide into the empty corridors. Separating there and then, Rogers left Tatsumi to his destiny and Tatsumi did the same to his saviour. He didn't exactly understand, fully at least, why Rogers had helped him but he knew that if he hadn't then it'd be likely that everything building up to his moment would have been for nought.

 _"Leone, Akame... Hold on, I'm coming for you."_ Tatsumi internally chanted, for the third time in his head.

Meanwhile, the spy watched Tatsumi leave. Quietly murmuring to himself. "Eh, it's a shame that I'll have to tell that girl about his untimely demise... But, whatever."

By the time, Dr. Stylish had finished with Fortuna's modifications for the upcoming battle, it was noon. By the time they arrived at the camp, just east of Fallhaven's walls, it was in the afternoon. They had made it with moderate speed by travelling purely by horse-back, with the additional forces being sorted into carriages and wagons, Tatsumi amongst them in disguise.

Bending the crowd of soldiers from Esdeath's legion, Tatsumi had managed to avoid the gaze of Esdeath. His scent masked by the scent of others, his face hidden by the helmet worn by the disposable troops that she led.

When they were unloaded from the carriage, Tatsumi immediately made himself scarce, Incursio had been wrapped up tightly in bandages, and it's scabbard covered with the same set of bandages, too.

When questioned about it, Tatsumi merely stated that it'd be a family heirloom that he carried in every battle for luck.

Which wasn't exactly false, really.

He spotted Wave, Kurome and the rest of the Jaegers dismounting from their horses, too. Seryu was currently being shadowed by that monstrously tall iron giant, whom seemingly had a rifle mounted on its left arm. It's ammunition fed directly into the enormous barrel on it's back. Clearly meant for continuous fire, by the looks of it but Tatsumi didn't stay around to ask for answers, he vanished away from the crowds, so he could avoid being drafted into the war itself as a legitimate member of the madness that was to unfold.

They'd be simple plains stretching across the main path to Fallhaven, that could be seen in the far distance. So Tatsumi opted to move around it, and head into the forest and approach the city by the side.

When he was far enough away, Tatsumi activated Incursio at it's lowest level, to avoid being spotted by Esdeath's superior senses. And then, he rushed through the forest's thick dense trees at blindingly fast speeds.

Thanks to the training received by his other half, Tatsumi had managed to leap eons past his former level of power.

His trump card would surely aid him in sneaking into the city, unnoticed by the Revolutionary Army that saw him as just a pawn of the Ice Queen. As long as he could avoid detection, he'd be fine. He opted to wait for the final battle to unfold, perfectly aware that trying to talk Esdeath out of the attack was pointless and futile.

"My apologies, Great General. But we simply do not have enough men to launch a full-scale attack on Fallhaven." The strategical advisor proclaimed, very nervous and worried but not enough to lie to his leader about their odds.

They'd be currently sat around a circular table in the tallest tent of the camp, aside Esdeath's resting quarters. Makoto was placed on his mother's lap, and the rest of the advisory council and Military officers were positioned around the desk, too.

"And why is that, exactly? I spared no expense at arranging this, I don't settle for defeat." Esdeath countered back, indeed, she knew they were under-manned when dealing with a fortress of that size but she wouldn't reveal what she had intended just yet. "We only have enough forces to assault the enemy keep at one side, if they try to escape through the other outer gates, we will be powerless to stop their movement!"

Hushed voices were spoken between the other attendees, but Esdeath merely began stroking Makoto's hair whilst she waited for the voices to cease.

"I am perfectly aware, which is why we are to attack the front gate, that we are currently facing from our camp." Esdeath confidently stated it'd seem as if she were fine with the concept of their enemy escaping from them. Which, would be, in fact very false. Unlike before, she did not intend to leave survivors, everyone was to meet their end.

"But... My Great General. You stated that you didn't want us to leave survivors for you, that only the Revolutionary Army's leadership were to be taken captive." The advisor began to sweat profusely when he realized she had begun glaring at him. "I have not changed in my desires, I never do. Now... I will tell you what, if I do not make good on my promise of not leaving any of the Revolutionary Army's pathetic excuse for soldiers alive, then you may take a full year's salary for yourself."

"And for a bonus, I will forbid the Empire's Ministers of claiming any extra tax on it. So, you will own every last penny that you receive for you to do with, as you like." Naturally, Esdeath knew exactly how to play people for their vices. A skilled manipulator. And not to mention that she had every means of paying good on her promises, and would see them met, provided she was beaten fairly in the game of chance.

But Esdeath had no intention to lose this particular bet, she had never lost before either.

It'd be clear that she was in a good mood since the other party lost nothing in accepting to this bet.

"...I see, then let us hope that we're both right in some way, Commander." At that, he finally halted with his questions and everyone else made no attempt at getting answers to their personal queries, too.

"Indeed, you have no reason to not accept my generous little bet, do you? Now that's over with... Let's talk about our plan of warfare." Concealing a viciously evil grin behind the wavy blue hair of her son, Esdeath drew the attendee's attention immediately with the way and tone she delivered her words.

The blue sky above would soon be marred by thick black clouds of smoke. The battle was about to begin, an hour after the meeting between Esdeath's officers had concluded, they were ready to begin the carnage.

The Ice Queen's soldiers stood in line and began marching to the gates of Fallhaven, closely followed by the Ice Queen and her Jaegers. Esdeath's soldiers numbered at ten thousand, exactly.

Behind them, at the camp, siege weapons had been set up to assist in the sacking of the Fortress City.

Cannons, and catapults to break the tall walls into dust.

Fallhaven hadn't attacked the marching lines of soldiers, yet...

A fatal mistake.

The soldiers halted, as ordered. Mother stood by her son, they exchanged glances and a nod was made by the other to the one beside.

Taken into his Mother's arms, Makoto breathed in and out. Seconds later upon the conclusion of that action, he was hurled quickly into the air at the height of the very tallest wall of Fallhaven and halfway to the walls themselves, a distance away from his original spot at the Ice Queen's side.

Incursio activated in a blinding array of smoke, and blue streaking lighting violently tore apart of the ground below.

At this moment, a thick square of Ice enclosed around the Ice Prince. The square soon formed two foundations at the bottom of it, and then what seemed to be arms at the left and right. The block that were the hands at the end of the arms, soon grew individual digits to create fingers. Same with the feet, as the featureless head spouted from the top. The Ice Prince serving as the core of the giant golem. In its previous silence, the heart began to beat and accelerate the transformation even quicker.

Then, a thought came to the young boy's mind, he wasn't just the Ice Prince.

In actuality, he was the Ice **_Dragon_** Prince.

He had learnt from his mother in the future, that Tatsumi's name meant "Sleeping Dragon" in his village and Incursio proved that notion.

Suddenly, and unexpectedly, the giant craned itself lower and soon let out a terrifying roar of rage. It's vocals, originating from Makoto's own. A tail burst from the end of it's back, hardened scales made from ice began lining the flesh of the Ice Dragon that stood at half the size of the Emperor's Teigu.

The Ice Dragon soon lost any features that could be seen as human, it's face had become completely dragonic with a snout that blew cold air.

Teeth, razor-sharp and claws on its hands and feet.

Without any delay, cannon fire soon came at the beast from the fort.

Meanwhile, Esdeath's men were rightly horrified at the transformation. They had deemed the boy as a non-threat, more concerned why Esdeath had brought a child to a battleground of men. Most of them had dropped swords and spears unto the ground in shock.

Their rifles clenched tightly, squeezed with enormous pressure. Either way, they were glad it was on their side and not currently against them.

"The first stone has been thrown, gentlemen... Now, attack! Let us march on their skulls, and break their wills...! The real fight begins now!" Esdeath roared, in a similar vein as that of her child. They were both acting as one, and this was shown when Makoto's Dragon form blew apart the outer-wall with a downward slam with its fist, allowing the lesser forces to charge through the crack made.

And for dessert, Esdeath immediately removed any chance for escape by summoning gigantic walls around Fallhaven that tore through the landscape, the walls were only open on the side they were charging from. Ensuring anyone that tried to escape, had to come into contact with the bulk of the enemy and their mortar fire. To further ensure they couldn't escape, Esdeath activated a specially created trump card of hers, for a situation like this.

 _ **Ice Calvary.**_

A three thousand strong deployment of Ice Golems lined the sides of the wall, equipped with spears and swords sworn unto their arms.

When most of her forces had passed her by, Esdeath decided to take part in the action herself. Leaping from the spot she stood, like a rocket taking off from it's landing pad. Esdeath flew through the air with speed, soon accompanied by the rest of her Jaegers.

Wave had received special orders to assist Makoto, whenever he could and soon could be seen leaping from the tops of the Ice Walls to assist him on the Ice Dragon's shoulder to knock away Cannon fire.

Seryu was carrying Fortuna, Blue was she nicknamed him, by his backpack over the walls herself. Using her foot-mounted rocket-propelled implants, along with enhanced strength to lift a titan at his size.

Kurome was nowhere to be seen, clearly having snuck into the city herself earlier undetected. Stylish, however, was back at the camp, he opted to wait until corpses had been piling up until he went off into the thick of it.

He needed flesh bodies, after all.

At the peak of her ascend, Esdeath lined the houses and battlements that she saw with ice spears. She knew none of her forces had made it into the fortress yet, thus let herself loose in her destructive power. Seeing the tower that surely held the Revolutionary's Leadership. She froze it solidly on the outside and encapsulated in, to preserve the lives of those inside, to save for later fun.

She couldn't sense Akame but wasn't overly bothered by that. She already knew that the girl would seek her out when she had mustered the courage for such.

Landing with perfect grace, Esdeath immediately unsheathed her loyal sword, clean of any blood. "Come, I am here to free you from the torment of life...!"

"Attack me, as if you do not fear death!" Esdeath yelled, clearly drunk on the thrill of battle. And in turn, found herself surrounded by Revolutionaries armed to the teeth.

"That's more like it, numbers do not matter to me... I will take on any number of your kind, show me your best and be defeated...!" At that, they charged and the first three of the bunch found themselves looking at their legs on the floor removed from their bodies, a distance away, as they bled out quickly. The others drew back in quick hesitation and were rewarded with decapitating strikes, too fast to be avoided or even seen.

Makoto's Dragonic form kept on the assault, destroying everything that stood in its path but clearly prioritizing the Revolutionary's Military forces.

"Oooh, look! There's another over there!" Seryu shouted, to which Blue, Fortuna, spun around to fire at the target she had pointed out.

"And there!"

Fortuna's feet were currently stuck to the floor by it's locking servos, with his waist coming equipped with the ability to change its direction without the need to move its legs. Fully mobile, and able to adjust his aim at will.

"A Bad Guy spotted at twelve o'clock, Blue!" Sitting on his shoulder, on a specially mounted chair. Seryu kept the violence going on, by using her own arm-mounted rifle to fire excessively into the Revolutionary's as they came from all sides. Soon, Fortuna's sole blue eye grew bright and activated it's Overkill protocols.

"Hold on..." He electronically uttered, as Seryu did just that, buckling herself up tight to his shoulder. "Oh, you're gonna do that! Great, I'm all strapped in... Go for it, let's really get them good...! Really, really gooooood...!"

By spinning 360 degrees rapidly, several times. Seryu and Blue were able to lay down assault fire to the hordes of hopeful "Bad Guys" by firing blindly in every conceivable direction. Explosive tipped bullets, used by each ensured they blew apart everything in their paths.

Bodies, houses and the like. Even retreating bystanders from the local population were hit by Seryu's bullets, with Fortuna using assisted targeting to avoid harming innocent civilians caught up in the madness.

When they stopped, Seryu unstrapped herself and leapt from the shoulder-mounted seat. "So, we've mopped up here, right?"

"Affirmative... No hostiles in a twenty-five-meter radius, I advise we move ahead." Fortuna replied, a rare show of affection with his head adjusting upwards and downwards in a nod to show agreement. Unaware to Fortuna, they were currently being watched by another who avoided his sensors, a blonde woman who had a vendetta against the Imperial Guard standing beside the seemingly soulless iron golem.

Back with Esdeath, she had gorged herself on violence, killing everything and everyone that came in her way that were not wearing her colours. Innocents included, in the insane woman's mind, they were guilty all the same. Guilty of the crime in assisting the Revolutionaries by housing them in the city, even if they were not the one who allowed such. Even so, that did not matter.

They would die horribly and rot in the ground all the same.

Standing surrounded by a tragic assortment of corpses, Esdeath decided to use another Trump Card she had only recently created. A trump card formed from not a need for violence, but for love. An urging and yearning for love and it showed in the way this particular Trump Card was.

"Figure of love, beauty and happiness... Embodiment of my eternal devotion to you, with this, you will always be at my side!"

"Where you belong...! Now, let us create a shining world for the two of us, my love!" Lifting a glowing orb of ice together in one hand, Esdeath lifted it skyward and blew cold air across the battlefield. With the air came massive shards of ice, five in total, separating from the orb and shooting out in a perfect circle around the Ice Queen.

From them, an Ice King arose, five each.

Moulded from the canvas of obsession, they'd grow from the seeds she had sown. Each and every one of them, humanoid and sculpted perfectly.

Sharing his height, and features at every turn. Unlike Esdeath's usual golems, these "Tatsumi's" weren't so crudely made, instead were filled with great detail. Clearly displaying Esdeath's true love for him with the amount of detail and effort she put into them.

Once they were fully formed and ready for action, facing away from their Queen, they spun around and immediately kneeled loyally. Waiting to receive orders, they were intelligent too, able to follow and obey complex orders.

"My Ice Kings, eliminate the Revolutionary Army's commanders and whittle away at their morale...! This war of attrition is at its end. Show me the love that I demand from you, serve me well...!" The Ice Queen commanded, and they immediately got to work.

Three leapt away from sight, heading in different directions with amazing speed. Creating these instruments of destruction was not an easy task by any means, but Esdeath's obsession with Tatsumi was enough for it to be achievable.

The two that stayed, had sensed a group of Revolutionaries laying in wait behind their Queen.

Armed with rifles, they immediately recognized who the Ice figures were resembled after and shot blindly. "Take this, you damn turncoat...!"

"To hell with your betrayal, you bastard...!"

They'd leap directly in the way of the shots, swiping the bullets away into the ground near them. A hail of bullets came quickly afterwards, to which they ensured none got through by creating a sword each in their left hand, gripping it tightly between them.

With speed unlike any other aside from their Queen, they cut down each and every shot and soon did the same to their attackers. A leap and a downward stab did away with two, and the rest were cut into pieces as blood-caked their ice forms thickly.

A sole survivor was all that had managed to endure the onslaught, although greatly wounded, laying on his front.

"Cur...Curse you, Ice-Bitch. If it... If it weren't for your _damn_ powers..." He spat out in rage, as she drew close, walking past the loyally waiting Ice Tatsumi's.

Standing over him, Esdeath returned the sentiment of his words by applying a hard heel on his back, penetrating it and hitting his lungs directly with the heel alone. Using none of her Teigu in this, just pure unadulterated physical violence. "My power alone isn't what defines me, you _weak_ little man. The Queen is the strongest piece of the board, and a good King will always do their best to protect them. For if the Queen is lost, the game might as well be lost, too. My King's have done just that, and you will suffer for trying to harm me in their presence, now..."

"Please, kindly perish."

Twisting a heel, to maximum his sweet delicious agony. The Ice Tatsumi's took the cue instantly and leapt at her side to finish the job. Ironically, by stomping him to death with boots lined with protruding sharp spikes. Drawing her sword once more, she'd heartily chuckle and walk away but not before applying a hard spank to the leftmost Ice Tatsumi's rear for it's good efforts.

A certain seductive sway of victory in her hips as she left to find Akame and reap the rewards of her labour.

For once, Esdeath met no opposition as she roamed the battlefields in search of her arch-nemesis and the only person on the opposition's side that could provide a challenge, it'd be fairly obvious that Esdeath considered Leone to be a non-threat and were even willing to leave her alone in peace to whatever fate she had in store when she had successfully dealt with Akame, provided she did not threaten her rightful claim to Tatsumi.

When the two Ice Tatsumi's had finished, literally, reducing the man to red crimson mush under their weaponized sculpted boots, they quickly leapt away from the area to proceed with their previously ordered task to destroy the shaky command structure of the Revolutionary Army and create more chaos amongst the survivors.

"So... That large "Thing" up there, that's Esdeath's child?" Akame asked, tightly holding unto Murasame.

"Yes, he is... He's more powerful than either of us, you know." Kurome replied a firm yet gentle tone in her voice.

"Makes no difference, once I'm done with the Ice Queen, he's next."

"I won't let that happen." Kurome launched another attack, locking blades with her sister firmly as they stared into each other's eyes. Explosions rang out in the distance, screams and loud cries that were similar to orders, too.

The air was warm but grew colder and colder.

They both knew what that meant, thus resolved to end the fight as quickly as possible. "I can't let you go, Kurome. Not as long as you serve the Empire, so give up."

"I want too, Akame... But I can't leave Wave behind." Kurome confessed, and hope grew inside Akame's heart. "Then come with us, Kurome! Both of you, I don't want to have to kill you both."

The young girl paused, then lifted Yatsufusa back up in a fighting stance. "No, it's too late for that. Fight me already."

Regardless of the girl's wants, the conversation had to end there. For if Esdeath caught wind of it, she would not allow Kurome to be with Wave whatsoever. They'd be separated away, and she could not live without him anymore.

Ironically, like Esdeath. She wasn't fighting for herself or the Empire, but the person she loved the most.

"...Tch, if that's what you wish!" Akame lunged ahead, slamming Murasame against the steel of Yatsufusa, hard enough to cause sparks. They'd repeatedly clash blades, toying with the other without aiming for decapitating strikes.

Neither truly desiring the death of the other whereas Akame didn't, because she knew that Kurome truly wanted to escape the Empire's hold inside her heart, Kurome did not as her newfound relationship with Wave and her healing from the dependency on the drug she had taken to keep up with Akame in the past, and the injury caused by Chelsea, she found herself without a lot of the instability she had suffered from before.

Effectively, she felt relieved and renewed, even if the lives she had taken still haunted her mind and dreams.

"I'll take things from here, Kurome. Excellent job in your task, top praise indeed. You did just as I asked." Esdeath's voice rang out, a cheerful tone heard, accompanied by the loud sound of her heels on the cracked cobblestone floor. A betrayed look appeared on Akame's face, that quickly died as an angry scowl showed itself instead. Akame wasn't sure if Kurome had willfully betrayed her to Esdeath by stalling intentionally, or if Esdeath merely wanted her to think that instead.

It didn't matter now.

For when Kurome begrudgingly drew away and vanished from sight, leaping to the nearest destroyed house's broken roof. Akame's eyes immediately locked with her arch-enemies' own, this was the chance she sought. A confrontation with the Ice Queen to end the struggle between good and evil in good's favour. The mockery that was Esdeath's winning streak wouldn't progress any further along in its path.

"Whatever evil twisted god has had a hand in letting you win, it ends today." Akame now properly steadied Murasame, she had no reason to hold back and no reason to go easy against Esdeath. Especially she had suffered so much at the evil woman's hands, she had to die. The sentiment was shared, quite heavily by the Ice Queen herself.

Neither intended to let the other walk away from this alive.

"I assure you, sweet Akame. There is no divine intervention in my battles, I win through my own power." Esdeath proudly stated, stretching her hands widely as if to taunt Akame into attacking her blindly. Exposing herself to harm. "And I will win this battle, all the same! Let us close the book on our little tale, for when you die... My new life will finally begin, with your decay on these beautiful wartorn streets, shall herald the birth of my children with my beloved Tatsumi."

"...So it's true, you really do intend to create more of you." Akame spat angrily, horrified at the thought of somebody as twisted and cruel as Esdeath being a Mother. The way she had said the line, implied Akame did not see Esdeath as human, but something else and that herself breeding with Tatsumi meant the creation of an entirely different species of monsters. "You could say that it's a new _hobby_ of mine, you know. Tatsumi just does things to me that make my body shiver and swoon."

"You disgust me, let's get this over with already. I can't stand you." Akame made the first strike and launched herself over at Esdeath. It connected, hitting Esdeath's fingertip square at it.

They'd be no blood, as the blade's cut didn't hit flesh but ice instead. Esdeath had easily anticipated the attack and acted accordingly. Shielding herself from Murasame's poison by coating her fingers in ice to block it.

Angered, Akame tried to land a hit by unleashing a quick series of swipes, left and right. The Ice Queen effortlessly blocked each and every one of them with the finger alone, intentionally keeping one hand hidden behind her back. "...It's that honestly your opening attack, Akame?! I expected better! Far better from somebody of your finesse!"

 _"Try this, for an opening attack!"_ Esdeath roared powerfully and booted Akame away with an upward kick to the stomach that landed on its mark. Knocking the young girl away, and left Esdeath alone on the floor. She didn't even attempt to attack again, fully confident in herself even if she originally intended to just finish things off quickly.

Caught up in the bloodlust she felt. A powerful bloodlust, that could surely seal the Ice Queen's very doom to Murasame's blade.

It's deadly poison.

"Kuk...!" As Akame flew away, she'd quickly adjust herself in the air and realize that Esdeath made no effort to follow up on the kick, landing on the ground. Akame breathed out strongly and readied herself once more. "A twisted monster like you doesn't deserve to bare children...! Especially with somebody like Tatsumi, I won't let you corrupt his bloodline with your filth...!"

A growl was heard by the Ice Queen, it'd lack any notable human traits. It'd be now that Esdeath drew her sword and prepared to use it, Akame couldn't be allowed to get off easy with statements like that.

Nobody deserved Tatsumi more than herself and she knew it, soon he'd know the same. "You're _really_ pissing me off, girl. Why don't you stop talking and focus on the matter of your inevitable defeat?!"

"Don't make me laugh, it's you, who's going down!" Akame met Esdeath with a leap, as she did the same. They'd clash blades, sparks everywhere, and meet eyes. Teeth bared on each side, they'd separate from their lock and swing at each other. Knocking the other's sword away with each strike and returning to counter the coming blow from their foe.

 _"Come on, come on!"_

"That's it, Akame! Wear yourself out, become fragile! Fragile enough for me to break apart!" Esdeath taunted giddily and kept at the assault, Akame leapt away and breathed out in frustration at the current situation. They'd both be temporarily distracted by a sudden minor yet clearly devastating earthquake caused by the Ice Prince's carnage as the Ice Dragon stomped its feet into the surface of Fallhaven's foundations, shaking it and blowing apart everything in its path.

Meanwhile, Esdeath looked on at him and swooned in bliss. "That's my baby boy, make Mommy proud."

"Crush everything that stands in your path, let the weak suffer for their faults." A hand on her curvaceous hip, Esdeath effortlessly blocked Akame's surprise attack without even looking her way or at the strike, sword locked with hers, Akame was forced away with the sword she held when Esdeath decided to put more effort into herself. "My apologies, Akame. It's just like me to get so caught up in seeing my darling son's accomplishments, now... _Where were we? Oh, yes, you're defeat."_

"That thing over there, is just another target on my list, once you're done... He's next." Akame didn't realize it, she had just shaken the hornet's nest. Esdeath had originally decided to give Akame a fitting warrior's death. A simple decapitating strike and that was it. If she was feeling generous, she would even dispose of her body through usage of the Demon's Extract to ensure that it was not tampered with, post mortem.

 _But now._

All bets were off.

Akame's death wouldn't be less than humiliatingly slow and painful, followed by a parade to the Empire's adoring masses with the naked bloody corpse impaled on a pike for all to see in its horrific glory. Even a heartless cruel creature like Esdeath could love and treasure someone, not that Akame believed that for a second.

The Assassin's inability and refusal to see that had guaranteed her slow death for certain.

"...It's funny, you know. I originally thought we had something special between us, Akame. I even originally wanted to spare you, and have you serve me!"

"As if I'd ever serve you, Esdeath...! Quit with the jokes, already!" She retorted, at speed.

"Ah-Ah-Aaah~! ...I wasn't finished, because you see, I know that as long as you live and breathe... My family will never be safe from you, or that Teigu of yours."

Akame stood in silence, she couldn't risk attacking however as she knew that Esdeath would expect it. She had to pick her strikes wisely to ensure success, after all, she only had to get a successful hit once to succeed in her mission. "All I need is you dead, and by the time you've finished rotting away in the ground... I will be heavy and wide with Tatsumi's child, Akame."

"So, let's quicken the pace of this battle a bit...!" Using her Teigu for the first time in the fight, Esdeath threw a hand upward from the side of her body and blew a thick torrent of razor-sharp ice across the ground directly at Akame, in an effort to keep the Assassin on her toes.

Having avoided this, like expected, Esdeath continued by closing her hands together from the sides, her sword sheathed away for now and bringing two walls of ice into each other to crush their target together with them.

"Stay alert, Akame! An attack could come from every direction, our fun together is only just beginning...!" Esdeath proved her point by finishing the onslaught of ice by clicking her fingers, erasing the walls at the last second and instead, calling forth one hundred individual daggers of ice at every possible angle imaginable, directly pointed at her foe.

To properly relish Akame's hopelessness in this situation, Esdeath intentionally waited for Akame to realize just how many of them they were.

Scoffing at the fact Akame had dared to try and prepare a stance in preparation for the oncoming barrage. Esdeath decided to reward Akame's misplaced bravery by saying no words and just seeing the action through, another confident click of her fingers released the meta-physical invisible string holding the daggers back away from their target and sent them hurling at the girl.

Despite holding the speed advantage over Esdeath, Akame wasn't able to avoid every dagger that came in her way. Using Murasame, she knocked away the ones she could not avoid and got hit, gashed but thankfully not impaled by the third set. The daggers that were dodged, stuck into the ground below. Blood dripped to the floor as well.

"Just the sight of your blood is a real turn on, you know. So, let us end things quickly... Tatsumi is waiting in my bed for me." Esdeath taunted once more, fully acknowledging the agony that her words caused Akame, even if she did not show a facial reaction to them aside from a scowl.

Redrawing her blade, Esdeath halted for Akame to gather herself so they could fight as equals, explosions and death-cries from Imperial and Revolutionary alike in the distance to properly set the scene of their battle.

"The only thing waiting for you, is an open dug grave, Esdeath." Akame powered herself on, refusing to be beaten as she was being currently. A diagonal swipe ensured their blades locked once more, as Esdeath leaned forwards to stare Akame in her eyes. Blue met red, and the hungry grin of the Ice Queen was seen in full by the Assassin. "Do you wish to know why you're being beaten, do you?"

"It's because you're out of practice, even an amateur can see that! You've been so busy trying to survive, that you haven't had any time to train..." To show her point, Esdeath slowly managed to take dominance in their blade lock, and soon forced Akame to step back to avoid the Ice Queen literally falling on top of her body due to the sheer force of the push she had to withstand.

"That sloppiness is your fatal flaw, and I could've killed you so much sooner!" True to words, Esdeath had only been playing with Akame, desiring to relish the defeat of the foe that stood in the way of her dream. "...I just... I just need one hit on you, one cut, and your history!"

"I will **_never_** die to such a cheap tactic like that, it'll take so much more to **_destroy_ **me! I am eternal, _I am warfare incarnate! I am forever...!_ " Esdeath, completely driven by bloodlust and desire to see Akame spilt into two, yelled and roared with bestial fury.

The undeniable madness woven in Esdeath's insane eyes invoked true legitimate fear in Akame for the first time in years, she was truly beyond help and the only help that she could receive was a sword through the rack, without a doubt. "If that's what it takes... Then I will destroy you until you cannot harm anyone else! Not Tatsumi, not my friends, not nobody else...!"

Tripping Akame up with a swipe of her left boot, Esdeath finished by delivering a hard kick to Akame micro-seconds later whilst she had been suspended in the air from the initial attack. Being flung over at high speeds, Akame's back harshly collided with a cracked wall that made up a ruined house.

Now, literally with her back to the wall, Akame lifted herself to her feet with determination and tried to shake herself off.

Dizzy and suffering from a minor concussion, balance being hindered as a result.

Seeing no reason to rush herself now that she had Akame exactly where she wanted, Esdeath walked ominously over to Akame's location. Generating sparks by dragging the tip of her sword against the floor below.

Licking her lips, just thinking about the future ahead and directly at her cornered prey. "Don't be sad, Akame. It was always meant to end this way, ask anyone. I was always meant to win, it's what I do best."

"You're only mistake is getting in my way, that's all." Esdeath stood two meters away from Akame, a lowered blade at her side in her right hand and a left hand on her hip. "That, and _threatening my son..._ I will parade you throughout the capital as I did to your boss, you will share her fate too."

Najenda's horrible fate, served as a primary source of motivation for Akame not to be defeated by the Ice Queen, she knew what awaited her if she failed in her mission

"Once that is over with, I will feed your body to hungry staving dogs and watch them as they tear you apart, piece by piece and strip the flesh from your bone." A true sadist, without equal. Esdeath took immense joy in trying to break Akame prior to the end. "Your brittle bones will serve as toys they will have petty fights over, for months on end. A simple form of amusement, to simple creatures."

Now leaning against the unstable wall, Akame breathed out and in, deep and slow. Closing the ruby eyes she was known and feared for and prepared herself for the worst, but she just couldn't accept that. She wouldn't, she had to survive and live on. For Najenda's memory. A defiance of the fate that had been chosen for her, burned deeply and then unleashed itself.

As the Ice Queen prepared to finish Akame off, a properly aimed slash was all it would take. _"Now... Let's make that a reality, shall we?!"_

Akame leapt upwards, and when Esdeath's finishing blow connected to end it's target's life.

 _Akame vanished from sight, completely unexpectedly._

 _ **"Your bloodlust created an illusion...! Die!"**_

Appearing directly behind the taller uniformed woman, Akame screamed out in victory as she moved to cut across Esdeath's exposed back with the very last of her strength and completely win the bloody war of attrition for the future's direction by killing the chief Commander of the opposition.

The Ice Queen, the unbeatable General Esdeath, had absolutely no time to turn around to avoid it.

She had lost. _Akame had won._

 **Oh man, in contrast to the previous chapter. Loads to say about this one, eh?**

 **Trust me, I hate cliffhangers, but I couldn't resist this one. Now I won't say much about that, because of tension but I wanted a slight "History repeats." in my works, to keep them consistent with some of the media. Other than that, I'll say this, so that it's cleared out. The first part of the piece, where Tatsumi's "evolution" is shown, is supposed to be more scary than it is wish fulfilment for Esdeath.**

 **Especially considering it is not natural, which Tatsumi knows. He wouldn't have experienced such with Mine, but because of the stark differences that having a relationship with Esdeath is, his body is beginning to change itself to avoid being broken by them. Noting to the fact, you'd have to be superhuman like Tatsumi to withstand simply being in a relationship with Esdeath, not to mention fighting her.**

 **Which is why, anyone else, trying to get what Tatsumi has, is practically pointless as they'd be snapped like a twig.**

 **But besides the point, anyway, another thing that I decided to add is a unique Trump Card of Esdeath's "Ice King" is what I call it.**

 **I took inspiration from Cia, from Hyrule Warriors that came out a few years ago. (Just watch her outro in the game, you'll see what I mean.)**

 **Like Esdeath, she's mainly in love with an idealistic hero and seeks to claim him for herself. She uses "Dark Links." in her gameplay, and uses them to make short work of foes, which is where I got the idea from. Imagine if somebody knew you so well that they could replicate you, and have it down perfectly?**

 **It'd be horrifying, right? To make a clone from sheer THOUGHT and Obsession. Yikes.**

 **Anyway, rate and review! I know you'll do so especially considering the chapter! Thanks!**


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